While wondering around the garden centre in May I spotted a packet of Cosmos seeds, I had brought some Cosmos plants last year and fallen in love with them, but they were a little expensive. A thought hit me, try and grow my own, I grew some beautiful Dhailas last year, so why not give it a go.
I planted the seeds in some trays I had received my winter bedding plants in, using the cpmpost I had brought to plant the hanging baskets with. The poor seeds were really neglected, they were left out at night when it was cold (even a frost) and I kept forgetting to water them.
I was left with these awful leggy seedlings and a feeling of total failure, I potted them into larger pots to see if I could rescue the some of them.
The weather was warming up and I watered them everyday and they began to get stronger and stronger until they were ready to be planted out.
Then came the heatwave and they for some reason thrived. I watered them with some water from the washing up every week and they soon began to grow even more and turned in to this.
I am utterly thrilled with how these leggy and badly looked after seeds have turned into this forest of cosmos, that are alive with pollinators and you can just hear the hummmm as you walk past.
I will be asking for some more kit for Christmas as I would like to try and grow a few more bits next year and treat them a little better.
I was left with these awful leggy seedlings and a feeling of total failure, I potted them into larger pots to see if I could rescue the some of them.
The weather was warming up and I watered them everyday and they began to get stronger and stronger until they were ready to be planted out.
Then came the heatwave and they for some reason thrived. I watered them with some water from the washing up every week and they soon began to grow even more and turned in to this.
I am utterly thrilled with how these leggy and badly looked after seeds have turned into this forest of cosmos, that are alive with pollinators and you can just hear the hummmm as you walk past.
I will be asking for some more kit for Christmas as I would like to try and grow a few more bits next year and treat them a little better.
I love Cosmos and generally just throw the seeds in the ground where I want them to flower - that usually works but with the heatwave of this year it was less successful (but then a lot of my plants suffered this year due to the heat and drought). #MyGloriousGardens
ReplyDeleteI grew cosmos last year and was able to enjoy the flowers all summer! I didn't know that they would keep blooming flowers for so long. I might add them to my list of plants to grow from seeds this spring and summer again. Thank you for sharing on the October #MyGloriousGardens link party!
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