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12-foot Cosmos a collosal sight

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By MONICA BRANDIES

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 21, 2009

When Francis Dale called to tell me about her cosmos that had grown 12 feet tall, I believed her, but I couldn't imagine how they'd look.

I expected they would be the pink, white or rose Cosmos bipinnatus because I have seen them get maybe 5 feet tall. The gold, orange, or red Cosmos sulphureus usually stay smaller, 2 to 4 feet. Not this time.

Francis and Jim Dale have lived in their south Brandon home since 1971. She first got interested in antique roses, but decided to try cosmos because they promised to be easy.

"It been years since I last bought cosmos seeds," she said. "I just save them from year to year." So it wasn't the seeds that were different.

"No, I didn't do anything to the soil," she said. "I don't feed my plants at all. They're lucky to be alive."

She thinks she planted them clear back in March. "They just kept growing and growing. I planted them around a rose bush and they shaded it out. I transplanted some of them when they were 3 feet tall. I thought they'd never bloom. I had hoped the flowers would be larger, but they are regular size. They were covered with butterflies this morning."

Today's Pick

A good companion plant for cosmos is the dwarf lantana, which comes in yellow, white and lavender. Both are good butterfly plants. Lantana can be invasive and does best when pruned back once or twice a year. It can also be cut for bouquets when the outer three rows of florets are fully open and buds will continue to open for six days.

Now's the time to...

Thin cosmos seedlings to 10 or more inches apart and pinch them back once for bushiness when they are about 8 inches tall. Plants get seedy rather quickly but constant harvesting of fresh flowers for bouquets and deadheading will prolong bloom.

Cosmos are long lasting when cut, staying fresh five to eight days. The best time to pick them is when the petals are widespread but the centers are very tight. Those with fluffy centers with mature pollen will not last well and the pollen may mar a table. New buds will not develop after the fluffy ones are cut, so cut them early, all but a few for seeds. If plants get tall, they may need staking.

I find the C. bipannatus more difficult to grow and so does Dale. But I keep trying.

Upcoming events

I will be giving a talk at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Bloomingdale Regional Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico, on Easy Ways to Grow and Use Herbs.

Also mark your calendar for my Garden Open House, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 7 and 14. More details to come.

Monica Brandies can be reached at monicabrandies@yahoo.com.

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