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Cosmos

bobloesbobloes Posts: 134
in Plants
Hi All,

I hope everything is going well with you.  I have only been growing Cosmos for the last two years and I have come across a variety 'picotee' which produces a single flower on a relatively long stem.  This is great (easy) for deadheading as I just use scissors and let it drop on the bed as opposed to those which have multiple buds close to each other and require precision cutting.  Picotee is a white petal with red/pink edging.  Does anyone know of another cosmos which has the same habit but possibly more dramatic colouring?

Thanks

Bob
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Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 9,561
    I think "Rubenza" is quite a striking colour
    https://www.chilternseeds.co.uk/item_399Q_cosmos_bipinnatus_rubenza
  • punkdocpunkdoc Sheffield, Derbyshire border.Posts: 11,211
    I don't think it is supposed to only have a single flower. If you had pinched them out, it would have developed more stems, and therefore more flowers.

    I love Rubenza, my go to Cosmos.
    He calls her the chocolate girl
    Cause he thinks she melts when he touches her
    She knows she's the chocolate girl
    Cause she's broken up and swallowed
    And wrapped in bits of silver
  • B3B3 Posts: 21,435
    My favourite too
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FireFire LondonPosts: 13,927
    Versailles Tetra Red is my go to.
  • B3B3 Posts: 21,435
    Never seen that one before. It's a beautiful shade of red
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,898
    I always wanted to grow the Chocolate Cosmos.. beautiful dark red and it is supposed to smell of chocolate(!). But the flower is sterile and you can only grow it from tubers.. and that is more than I care to spend. It appears to grow on the single stem, as you prefer. Might be a good option if you are happy to faff around with overwintering the tubers (I am assuming they are a bit like delilahs, etc). I've also had an eye on Cosmos Apricot Lemonade.. I mostly enjoy my garden in the evening, and the blush white would really stand out in both day or evening. Doubt it's a single stem though. Just a lovely color.
    Utah, USA.
  • SuesynSuesyn South Somerset Posts: 541

    Cosmos seashells mixed. My first ever attempt at growing any sort of cosmos with mixed results. Those in pots grew into trees with stems 2" thick and hardly any flowers whereas the ones in the border have flowered since May and are much more compact. The colours are mixed red, white and pink, sometimes a combination but also the flower shape, some single, some fluted and some frilly. They were certainly easy to grow although I have been deadheading every day. 
  • BenCottoBenCotto RutlandPosts: 3,601
    @Fire, that cosmos is exactly the shade of red I’m looking for as chocolate cosmos is too expensive for my bedding schemes. However checking for a UK supplier I see the photo on the T&M site shows it to be much pinker. Which one is the truest representation? https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/cosmos-bipinnatus-versailles-tetra/7619TM
  • FireFire LondonPosts: 13,927
    @BenCotto - this series is a bit confusing. What you are looking for is "cosmos bipinnatus 'Versailles Tetra Red'". The one you have linked is the pink version, not "Tetra Red".  The seeds usually come up for sale in the spring; Sarah Raven usually sells them then. It doesn't seem to be that popular, unlike Purity, which is everywhere and seeds are easily got hold of.  
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 3,985
    Dahlia 'Mexican Star'  looks just like chocolate cosmos, though without the chocolate scent, but is much easier to overwinter than the cosmos, which I found to be very pernicketty. You can always eat the chocolate while you are looking at it, if the absence troubles you :)
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