Beginner success with Cosmos — here is what helped

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Cosmos. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers.

I grow mine in a wildflower meadow replacing lawn areas which is working really well. self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting was a genuine surprise — I didn't expect it to look or perform like that. seed setting and dispersal in late summer has been the highlight so far. My biggest mistake early on was ignoring dog walkers or trampling on unmown meadow areas, which I'd recommend addressing immediately.