The mystery of the Cosmos....

[ErrolTheDragon]

I grew quite a lot of Cosmos from seed this year. I don't think I was particularly late planting them out, but some of them took a heck of a long time to flower (some have barely started) but most of them have grown really tall (5-7ft) rather than the 3-4 according to the seed packet. I did pinch them out to try to encourage bushiness.
I'm not unhappy with the height, now I've staked them, but I'm afraid they're going to be cut down in their prime when the frosts start, or knocked around too much by autumn winds. Any ideas what I might do differently next year?

They're great with the verbena!

My white Purity cosmos are about 5’ tall (even after being pinched out), and still flowering. Not grown them before but they didn’t flower until late June.

The flowers I brought inside nearly a week ago are still looking good, with some of the buds opening - I'd thought Cosmos didn't look like it would do well as a cut flower but glad to say I was wrong. I brought in some more that got bashed down by the wind yesterday- it was a bit I hadn't staked or otherwise supported, the rest held up better than I'd have expected.(The wind flipped our garden table over yesterday, DH said it was lifted several feet in the air by a mini tornado!)

They are tall because of all the rain we have had.

Lat flowering die to relative back of sunshine.

If you deadhead, they should keep going until the first frosts.

Which we have already had down South.

Full of typos.

Should say "late flowering due to relative lack of sunshine."

My neighbours have a good display of cosmos this year he said he has no idea why they were so late but he was going to enjoy them anyway

Pulled all mine up yesterday, 3 frosts this week have seen them off. They've been great though.

We just escaped frosts here (NW England) and the forecast looks to be mild for the next week so mine are still going, if a bit windswept.

Yes, we're forecast mild weather again for the next week (SE England), these were proper, hard, water frozen in birdbath frosts. Brrr.

Was listening to a Sarah Raven/Arthur Parkinson podcast last week (brilliant by the way) and she said one reason this might happen is the seeds are raised in Warmer places like Morocco and have become adapted to warmer climates, and need more warmth than a cool English summer to come into flower

I wonder if it's because it hasn't been a very sunny year, so they've been reaching for the sky? Mine are huge too, well above my head and still flowering away. I hope they do as well next year, I love them!

There's something very satisfying about growing something from seed that ends up being bigger than you :D

Ours are still going here too! They look a biut bedraggled these days but that might be because I gave up deadheading them 3 weeks ago. Hasn't stopped them

I would think the big hedge you have is shading them, especially the ones right in front of it maybe? I love Cosmos.

It's an Ivy covered fence. They do get some sun, but probably not optimal.

But no frosts so they're still standing (after putting in a bit more support)

Last nights winds snapped one of the tall plants at the front. The rest are still standing but we've got a -3 forecast for tonight so I think they've reached the end now. If I can just steel myself to wrap up and get out there to cut the last remaining blooms and then at least get my wallflowers and bellis daisies in!

Also in the NW and mine have literally just decided they'd had enough after the frosts in the last few days. I cleared out about half of them 2 weeks ago as they'd died, but the rest continued to flower until end of last week

Midlands here and the cold of the last 48 hours has finally seen mine off.

They'll be cut down to the ground this weekend. However, the Christmas Roses are out so there are still blooms in the garden

The flowers I brought in before the wind and frosts have made it to December.
(Not a good photo, it's so dull outside at the moment)

What lovely photos. I didn't know the name of the lovely pink flowers till now. It has inspired me to grow some for next year.

The flowers I'd brought indoors were looking a bit sad so they've gone today.
But they certain did well to get this far since I started this thread in late October.