Cosmos bipinnatus Sensation Pinkie seeds - Garden Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus Sensation Pinkie, recipient of a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit, is a tall variety from the Sensation series, providing interesting cultivars. It has large, bright 9 cm diameter flowers, soft pink with a yellow centre, at the top of elegant stems, reaching a height of 1 m, as light as its finely cut foliage. Sow it directly in the ground, in a rustic flower bed. This undemanding annual plant is as easy to sow as it is to grow.

Cosmos bipinnatus is an annual species native to Mexico and the extreme southern United States. This not very hardy annual plant, related to Dahlias, belongs to the Asteraceae family. It displays a characteristic inflorescence in a head and particularly fine foliage, described as pinnately dissected, reminiscent of fennel. Each plant from the Sensation Pinkie selection quickly forms clumps of 90 cm to 1 m in height, for a width of 50 cm. Flowering starts in June-July, and lasts until October, only stopping with the first frosts. The flower heads measure 9 cm in diameter and are composed of petals of various colours. The flower centre consists of a golden disc. They attract numerous insects and butterflies, including the Monarch. The foliage is finely cut into thread-like segments, barely 0.5 to 1 mm wide, and is slightly and pleasantly scented.

Cosmos is very easy to grow, suitable for beginners to sow directly in the ground. Its flowering is foolproof: poor soil, heat, humidity. This tall plant brings height to flower beds and lightness to the heavier blooms of perennials. During flowering, the plant may sag under its weight, due to wind or showers. This issue can be resolved by grouping the stems so that the leaves cling together. Sensation Pinkie can be used in rustic flower beds, mixed with toadflaxes, grasses, Bee Blossoms, Crocosmias, Verbena bonariensis, or perennials that love the sun as much as it does, bidens and rudbeckias. Its flowers have a very good vase life.

Eco-friendly gesture: Sowing a honey-producing plant like Cosmos in your garden will attract pollinating insects and butterflies throughout the summer. At the end of the season, let the last flowers produce their seeds, which are particularly appreciated by birds. This will encourage them to settle in your garden and play an important role in its ecosystem.