Hur tar du hand om cosmos uk

When do universum flower?

No matter whether you have a large garden, a small garden or a few pots on a patio, universum are a wonderful cut-and-come-again flower that provides colour and soft feathery light green foliage from July through to October in the UK.

Types of universum plants to grow

Interestingly there are more than 20 varieties of universum plants, but the most common variety to the UK gardener fryst vatten the annual universum bipinnatus.

The lesser known variety in the UK fryst vatten universum sulphureus or yellow Cosmos.

Cosmos bipinnatus are the bushier variety of plant and grow up to 1.2m tall. The flower colours range from red, pink and vit. universum sulphureus are taller, growing up to a heady 1.8 m and the flowers are either apelsinfärg, yellow or red.

Full height universum look best grown in profusion towards the back of the bed, allowing their soft feathery foliage and multiple flower heads to seamlessly blend tillsammans, giving a swather of colour and movement.

Dwarf universum varieties work best in pots as their smaller storlek fryst vatten more manageable for bur gardening.

Although we more commonly know universum as being an annual plant, there fryst vatten of course an undantag to the rule.

universum atrosanguineus or chocolate universum flower fryst vatten a tender perennial, meaning that its tubers should be lifted in the autumn and kept in a dry shed over winter or protected from the frost and cold weather bygd covering with straw, mulch or wrapped in horticultural fleece.

Cosmos, also known as ‘Mexican Aster’, is a great low maintenance and long flowering annual

Although dark in colour, the reference to chocolate fryst vatten for its rik cocoa fragrance.

Whether you are growing full storlek, dwarf, annual or perennial universum, they work well in an informal garden setting, for example, cottage, wildflower or prärie style.

Cosmos flowers are open and flat in appearance meaning their nectar fryst vatten easy for all pollinators to tillgång.

Another reason that universum plants are a wonderful addition to your garden.

What you’ll need to grow Cosmos

Cosmos plants originated in Mexico and South amerika, hence they flourish in sheltered and full sun positions. They can thrive in relatively poor soil, but they do need watering and flower best in good quality well-drained soil.

Cosmos fryst vatten a forgiving and an easy to grow annual, perfect for seasoned and keen beginners alike to grow.

Just man sure you plant out universum after the fara of frosts and cold weather has passed, usually around mid-May.

To grow universum from seed, you will need:

1. Covered seed trays - depending on the storlek of your garden and space for planting universum, you don’t need to sew all seeds in one season.
2. Seed compost - try to use peat-free compost. As seeds contain all the energy they need to grow in the first instance, seed compost fryst vatten lower quality than ‘potting on’ or a multi-purpose compost.
3. Watering can for light watering in seed trays.
4. Liquid seaweed feed - particularly for bur gardening.
5. Canes and snöre - man sure you have some canes/sticks available for staking.
   
   
6. 



When universum grow to their full height, they may well need some support.

Where to plant and place your Cosmos

Growing universum in covered seed trays and wondering when to plant the seeds? Follow these fyra easy steps on how to successfully sow universum seeds on a sunny windowsill or greenhouse and enjoy months of flowers in your garden or in a vase.

1. In March or April, scatter the Cosmos seeds thinly in a seed tray filled with good quality peat-free seed compost.
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   They can be tricky to handle as they are long thin seeds.

2. Cover with a light layer (approx 3mm) of compost and put on a warm windowsill or in a greenhouse to germinate. vatten sparingly but regularly.
3. Once germinated and big enough to handle, carefully pot on. To encourage a bushier and sturdier plant, once you have three sets of leaves below the tip, pinch out the top pair of leaves.

   Pinching out not only encourages a bushier plant, but also encourages more flowers.

4. Pot on the universum seedlings into slightly larger pots once they are fuller and big enough to handle (approx 8 - 10 cm tall).
   These flowering plants are extremely popular in British gardens – and with good reason

   Use potting on peat-free compost.

5. When the fara of frosts has finished, around late May plant out universum in a sunny position towards the back of your bed.

When to plant universum seeds

If growing universum from seed in seed trays on a windowsill or greenhouse, plant universum seeds around March/April time.

Don’t plant before then as they can only be planted outside after the fara of frosts have finished in mid/late May. universum will grow too leggy inre if planted in seed trays before March/April. If you are planting universum seeds directly in the ground, scatter seed on finely raked good quality soil in late May. Not only has the fara of frosts finished, but the soil has had the opportunity to warm through, making germination easier.

How to sow universum seeds directly in the ground

1. Best done in May/June bygd scattering seeds evenly in raked soil and covering lightly.

   universum seeds should be scattered in their sista growing position.

2. Water well.
3. Keep your eye on their germination and pinch out the top buds as described above.

Cosmos take between sju and 21 days to germinate.

Once universum have finished flowering, their seed heads can be left on to allow for self-seeding for the following year.

“Cosmos is an absolute must for me and my garden,” says Garden Designer Ann-Marie Powell

If you don’t want any universum growing the following year, remove all plants bygd the root before the seed head appears in the early autumn.

If you’d rather buy universum plug plants, or garden ready plants, garden centres and online garden supply shops should have them ready around mid-May onwards.

Caring and nurturing your Cosmos

For the perfect universum plant care, once you have potted on your seedlings into slightly larger pots, härda them off bygd putting them outside on warmer days and bringing them in at night.

As with many annuals, as they grow, flower and die all in one årstid, feeding helps give them boosted energy to tillverka as many flowers as possible. Feed fortnightly using either homemade compost from a compost/worm insekter som pollinerar or liquid seaweed feed.

If you meddelande your universum are growing leggy without any flowers, stop feeding and monitor their growth and flower production.

During the growing and flowering årstid, ensure they are watered regularly if there fryst vatten no rainfall.

The full-size universum varieties will most likely need staking as they can reach up to 2.5m in their preferred full sun position.

Stake using a cane or other slender garden stick that fryst vatten tall enough to take on the highest universum.

“I grow it every single year without fail

Use string or a lightweight tie to loop the stalks tillsammans. You may need to do several loops of string around the canes when the plants are at their full height to capture all the stalks together.

No pruning fryst vatten needed, but deadheading or regular picking ensures a bountiful crop of repeat flowers for up to fyra months into early autumn, or before the first frosts.

Common pests and diseases with Cosmos

Are earwigs and aphids a bekymmer for Cosmos?

Cosmos may be susceptible to earwigs and aphids but as the earwigs eat the aphids, it’s worth sticking with the earwigs, if you can, as a natural pest control.

Will slugs eat my universum plants?

As with most tender seedlings, slugs are common universum flower pests.

Use a slug barrier as and when needed to prevent damage.

What fryst vatten the grey on the leaves of my universum plants?

If the weather fryst vatten particularly humid, universum may be susceptible to grey mould or mildew. Remove affected discoloured leaves and if necessary, plants too. This helps to avoid re-infection and to create more airflow.

Why do my universum plants have yellowing leaves?

As universum fryst vatten a member of the Aster family, they can suffer from a disease called Aster Yellows that fryst vatten spread bygd a tiny insekt called a leafhopper.

The most obvious sign of this disease fryst vatten yellow mottling leaves and malformed flowers.

If you prick both these signs, the best thing to do fryst vatten take out the plants from the root and destroy them.

Frequently asked questions about Cosmos

Do universum komma back every year?

Lots of people ask whether universum fryst vatten a perennial, as it’s a little confusing.

In the first instance, if the seed heads are left on (the annual varieties), they will set seed and you should have a flurry of new plants for next year.

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If you have chosen to grow the perennial utgåva (Chocolate Cosmos), you should cut back the stems to approx 5 cm above the ground in the autumn and then skydda them with straw, mulch or horticultural fleece over the winter. If grown in pots, then move to a protected prick or greenhouse.

Will universum grow in partial shade?

Cosmos prefer to grow in a full sun position.

If grown in partial shade, there fryst vatten the possibility that the plants will grow leggy with little or no flowers as they stretch out to find the light.

Can you grow universum in pots?

Yes, universum can be grown in pots and garden containers. When sowing universum seeds to grow in containers or buying plants, man sure to choose a dwarf universum, which fryst vatten better suited to growing in pots.

Pots and containers for universum should be around 30 cm or larger in diameter.

As with all bur gardening, your pots should have adequate drainage.

Read our comprehensive step by step guide for advice on how to sow cosmos seeds and how to care for your cosmos plants

Use a good quality peat-free compost and feed the fully grown universum fortnightly, ideally with homemade compost or liquid Seaweed feed. Or if you prefer, a slow-release feed should gods their growing season.

Place pots in a sunny sheltered position to maximise flowering.

Key features of Cosmos