Started Cosmos at the wrong time — lessons learned

I planted Cosmos at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. annual weed competition overwhelming slow-establishing flowers didn't help matters. Once I understood avoiding any fertiliser which would favour grasses over flowers things improved substantially.

self-seeding and naturalising without annual replanting is what makes this plant worth persisting with. In a container with a meadow mix for a balcony it finally looks as good as I'd imagined. peak flowering from early to midsummer redeemed the whole effort. If you're starting out: do your timing research before you plant.