Cosmos Dwarf Sonata
I sowed some of these in the greenhouse and planted them out in June as
it was a cold spring this year. The seed packet said height 2', but they have grown to about 5'. They are lovely and bushy with a lot of flower, but because of the unexpected height they have been grown towards the front of the border and with the result are hiding other plants. Should I have planted them out sooner? |
Cosmos Dwarf Sonata
"Syke" wrote in message ... I sowed some of these in the greenhouse and planted them out in June as it was a cold spring this year. The seed packet said height 2', but they have grown to about 5'. They are lovely and bushy with a lot of flower, but because of the unexpected height they have been grown towards the front of the border and with the result are hiding other plants. Should I have planted them out sooner? No-one else has replied, so I've give you my two-penn'orth FWIW. I'm not exactly experienced with Cosmos, having only grown it a few times (my greenhouse deceased in a gale..) but I cannot see how planting them out earlier would have reduced their ultimate height (if that is what you were suggesting)? If I buy seeds that promise 2' high Cosmos, although what I grew were a bit taller than that, that is what I expect to get. 5' is a bit extraordinary. They were not struggling for light at all were they? If not I might mention it to the seedgrowers. If my greenhouse was up and running I'd definitely grow them again, also nicotiana in mixed colours. I used to go out into the garden in the late evening just to swoon over the scent of my "tobacco plants" More experienced Cosmos growers please come along and give better advice that I can. Tina |
Cosmos Dwarf Sonata
On Aug 30, 5:07*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote: "Syke" wrote in message ... I sowed some of these in the greenhouse and planted them out in June as it was a cold spring this year. *The seed packet said height 2', but they have grown to about 5'. *They are lovely and bushy with a lot of flower, but because of the unexpected height they have been grown towards the front of the border and with the result are hiding other plants. *Should I have planted them out sooner? No-one else has replied, so I've give you my two-penn'orth FWIW. I'm not exactly experienced with Cosmos, having only grown it a few times (my greenhouse deceased in a gale..) but I cannot see how planting them out earlier would have reduced their ultimate height (if that is what you were suggesting)? If I buy seeds that promise 2' high Cosmos, although what I grew were a bit taller than that, that is what I expect to get. *5' is a bit extraordinary. They were not struggling for light at all were they? *If not I might mention it to the seedgrowers. If my greenhouse was up and running I'd definitely grow them again, also nicotiana in mixed colours. *I used to go out into the garden in the late evening just to swoon over the scent of my "tobacco plants" More experienced Cosmos growers please come along and give better advice that I can. Tina Ours have done the same to us and they were sown cold and late and planted late. But hey. don't knock it - they've been a wonderful show all summer and still going strong. We'll be able to sort out the 'buried' plants when we get the cosmos out in the autumn. After a year without a garden and deprived of flowers while we moved in here and worked on the house and workshop my wife specified the new garden - what she wanted was FLOWERS please. She got them in spades. Rod |
Cosmos Dwarf Sonata
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:08:10 +0100, Syke
wrote: I sowed some of these in the greenhouse and planted them out in June as it was a cold spring this year. The seed packet said height 2', but they have grown to about 5'. They are lovely and bushy with a lot of flower, but because of the unexpected height they have been grown towards the front of the border and with the result are hiding other plants. Should I have planted them out sooner? I grow cosmos every year and find that their eventual height is often down to what I ultimately plant them in; timing of planting doesn't make any difference unless you plant out too early and get a late frost. This year, mine have all been about 2-3 feet high but last year, some planted in fresh compost in tubs grew to about 4 feet, some planted in an "old" border were about 2 feet high and those planted in a "refreshed" border - one I had cleared out, dug in manure and all that and then replanted, produced really bushy plants, covered in blooms and over 4 feet high. I would always treat cosmos as a middle of the border plant, not a front one. That said, this year I have 2 foot tall impatiens and all my marigolds produced one bloom and then keeled over and snuffed it. Gardening is like that - enjoy the surprises and put the failures down to the idiots at the Met Office who can never get the forecast right. |
Cosmos Dwarf Sonata
"Rod" wrote Ours have done the same to us and they were sown cold and late and planted late. But hey. don't knock it - they've been a wonderful show all summer and still going strong. We'll be able to sort out the 'buried' plants when we get the cosmos out in the autumn. After a year without a garden and deprived of flowers while we moved in here and worked on the house and workshop my wife specified the new garden - what she wanted was FLOWERS please. She got them in spades. Funny enough, my wife told me a couple of years ago that it was about time we had a pretty garden with flowers instead of a collection of plants. I wouldn't admit it to her but I actually prefer it too now it's coming along. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK |
Cosmos Dwarf Sonata
On Aug 30, 10:59*pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Rod" *wrote Ours have done the same to us and they were sown cold and late and planted late. But hey. don't knock it - they've been a wonderful show all summer and still going strong. We'll be able to sort out the 'buried' plants when we get the cosmos out in the autumn. After a year without a garden and deprived of flowers while we moved in here and worked on the house and workshop my wife specified the new garden - what she wanted was FLOWERS please. She got them in spades. Funny enough, my wife told me a couple of years ago that it was about time we had a pretty garden with flowers instead of a collection of plants. I wouldn't admit it to her but I actually prefer it too now it's coming along. -- Regards Bob Hobden W.of London. UK Well you know, that's what I thought gardening was about - the edibles are a given but after that it's flowers and plants. Then during my last couple of years working a then new colleague started bringing the glossy Garden fashion mags in to work and it all seemed to be about garden structures, landscape features, statuary etc. Growing things took a definite back seat. All the while I was trying to make a garden that trancended fashion and was full of happy interesting beautiful (mostly flowering) plants, that looked comfortable with their neighbours - a very quaint idea. I'm still doing much the same in the garden we've just made at home but on a much smaller scale, though the sharp eyed might just spot a young Magnolia obovata in a corner and I'm hoping it just might flower while I'm still around to see it. I seem to have drifted o/t a bit but just one more thing for the original poster - gardens work best if you allow for a bit of serendipity to happen, too much control and you lose that charm. Rod |
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