We had our first cosmos flower bloom a few days ago! It is orange. It has been the only bloom in the garden for several days, but more are on their way. My cosmos has grown huge and very bushy. The foliage is pretty, and it has been very cool to grow such big plants from such tiny seeds.
I read this article on cosmos and could not help but smile at the "tough love" treatment that cosmos requires. I certainly have given it that. I did sprinkle a little fertilizer at some point, but the soil in the front garden is pretty terrible. I have watered quite sparingly. And cosmos is rewarding me for my negligence. I ran across a message board where more careful gardeners were complaining about the poorly growing cosmos--it didn't like their water and fertilizer!
I think I will continue to find plants that grow with no effort.
