Chocolate cosmos

[pigletwillie]

I was given two of these for my birthday, one is planted in a walled raised bed at home and well mulched for protection, the other is ni a cold frost free greenhouse.

Come the spring can I propogate it like dahlias by taking cuttings of the shoots with a bit of root attached?

[JennieAtkinson]

Did they flower last summer PW?

I grow loads of annual Cosmos, just love them. But the chocolate cosmos is (I think) a perennial. So presumably you can divide like a normal perennial (?). I keep meaning to get a plant - will it do in any soil and conditions?

[pigletwillie]

I think Jennie that the poorer the soil the better they do. The chocolate variety is indeed a perenial and both flowered this year. I grow annual ones for cutting as they are so prolific.

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks for that PW. The Thompson & MOrgan catalogue arrived this morning and they have a dwarf chocolate cosmos, so think I might go for that one and give it a go.

On the annuals - how close do you plant yours? I think I spread mine out abit too much this year and they looked a bit straggly, particularly as they seemed to shoot up. I thought I had mostly mid heights (18"), but most went up alot higher than that! My favourites this year were Dazzlers - a pinky stripe flower, very pretty, and as you say, they are great cut flowers for the house.

[Alison]

Used to have some chocolate cosmos in the garden but it tended to get a bit leggy over the season so I pulled it out and transplanted with something else. They did smell nice but didn't have enough of a contrast with the soil for my liking. Suppose it's a matter of personal preference and I've been gradually moving away from purely ornamental stuff and using more and more of the garden for things I can eat - do pick some of the more pretty varieties though. Suppose it's different if you have a larger garden or a lottie as the ground space isn't quite so critical.

[nick the grief]

Hi Piglet,

Yep Chocolate Cosmos hails from Mexico I think (as does the Dahlia) & has a tuber just the same.

I would guess, if you leav it in the pot & let it dry out ( put the pot on it's side) then later on give it a good drink & some bottom heat & as the shoots break through take them as cuttings.