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Cosmos only just starting to flower

AndyDeanAndyDean Posts: 157
in Problem solving
My cosmos have only just started to flower in the past week, and I have quite a few without buds still. In contrast, my mum's have been flowering for weeks!

I got them started early indoors and hardened them off properly. I did pinch them out when small -  I know pinching out delays flowering, but this seems excessive. They were a bit overcrowded in their pots for a little while earlier in the year, but have grown well, just late with flowering.

Am I doing something wrong? Has anyone else experienced this with cosmos?

Thank you!

Posts

  • Bright starBright star Posts: 1,153
    I have some that have only just started flowering too. The others are just coming to the end of flowering and they were sown at the same time. It’s just been an odd year weather wise and plants in the garden are behaving differently too. I’m just glad to have a few late bloomers when everything  else is coming to the end. Are your late flowering Cosmos “Dazzler” by any chance? Mine are.
    Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,101
    edited September 2018
    I think they really didn't like the heat ... mine have only flowered very sporadically until this week whereas last year they were really prolific ... I was looking at photos of them yesterday  ... now they're beginning to produce a several at a time ... I noticed not half an hour ago when I was getting the washing in.  

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • AndyDeanAndyDean Posts: 157
    Yes, I think they are dazzler! Maybe it is just the weather - at least I'm not the only one.

    Plants are being weird - my primroses have started flowering again, and my grape hyacinth have put out strong new growth. It's very strange... 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,101
    Mine are Dazzler too.

    My primroses often flower in the autumn ... they keep going in mild spells throughout the winter and then give a fantastic display in the spring.  No need to worry.

    As for grape hyacinths ... they always produce strong foliage at this time of year ... it overwinters and they produce the flowers in the spring.  Sometimes we notice it, sometimes we don't  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,325
    My hellebores started flowering again last month. My crocosmias flowered very poorly (two flower stems from five Lucifer Plants) but are now having another go. It was a hot August with lots of torrential rain storms, very steamy and tropical. All a bit weird!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • stewyfizzstewyfizz Posts: 161
    Everybody seems to have had Cosmos issues this year. I have seen some truly gigantic plants (7-8ft tall!) with only 5-6 flowers or buds. Previous years the plants have been more modestly sized but have flowered themselves stupid.
    Gardening. The cause of, and solution to, all of my problems.
  • FireFire Posts: 17,349
    edited September 2018
    I think it does depend if you plant into rich soil /manure and the plants put on a lot of leafage. My smaller cosmos have been flowering for months. My six ft trees are just about to start.

    All my crocosmia lasted about a week in flower. My oregano and oesteo has not had one flower between them and show no sign of thinking about it. All the above flowers are supposed to come from high sunshine parts. It's all a bit odd (lots of watering, they've had this summer).
  • AndyDeanAndyDean Posts: 157
    Thanks Dove, that is good to know! I’ve grown both of them in my previous garden and never noticed, glad to have the mystery cleared up.

    And very happy to know there are plenty of others with cosmos problems! I’ll have to interrogate my mother again as to how she’s had such good results...
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