Hi, prairiemoon. It had been years since I had grown cosmos, so last year, I sowed some, including the new picotee. And then, I remembered why it had been years since I had grown them. The plants are just awful. They're leggy, they're gangly, they flop, and well....they're awful. Christopher Lloyd used them in one of his books to spectacular effect. I'd sure like to know how he did it...

I know that's not what you wanted to hear...I hope someone can truly answer your question. If you want some white psyche seed, I have a package that I didn't get around to using last year. You're welcome to it! Just email me :)

Hi Donna, Thanks for that input. I know you are right about the flopping etc. I actually ripped all mine out about 3 years ago. [g] I changed the bed that they were originally growing in and moved some to another area of the garden a couple of years before I pulled them all out.

I grew them for 7 years in the same place and loved them. They were packed into a very full sunny spot that had other plants that were tall enough and close enough to support them, I guess. I was always able to cut them for vases and I enjoyed them. Then I moved them to not quite full sun, in a bed that had more space and lower plants I guess. That is where they flopped and were so gangly that I pulled them all out.

I find I miss them though. So I am going to add them back into the original bed that is now getting back to being full and taller in full sun. I'm going to give them another try. I also read somewhere that some people pinch them when they are young to make them bushier and sturdier. I've seen them grow that way and they are pretty that way too. I love the airy foliage too.

So, maybe you might try them again? :-)

When you say packed in, do you mean they were crowded into clumps, each plant very close together? I have wondered if that would work. I am kind of a nut for thinning to the spacing called for on the seed package. It makes sense for them to have taller stuff around them too. I wonder if they would work among roses so that the rose bushes could serve as supports.

You grow them again this year, pay attention to what you do, and then let me know, okay? :)

Donna, I had a full sun bed in my front yard. It's the only place on my property that is full sun. There are so many plants that I love that are full sun, that everything I wanted to grow, was thrown into that bed. [g] Plus I wanted a low maintenance, drought tolerant, so I planted it and just let it go for about 6 years in a row. A number of plants reseeded quite well, coreopsis, the cosmos, rudbeckia, etc. Plus I had Perovskia in there and a Bronze Fennel that reseeded. It was a lot of fun. I never look at the spacing on the seed packet, and I usually just end up moving something if it gets too close. I haven't tried it with roses, but I do have roses in the bed I'm planning to add the cosmos to. So we'll see.

I definitely will let you know how it works out this year. I also might pinch back a few to see how it works that way too.

Let me know if you try the Psyche, how that works out for you.

I grew Snow Puff last year. It is not as tall or as gangly as Psyche or Sensation white and did not fall over as badly, but still benefited from some twigs I stuck into the bed to keep them up.
Toppling because they are heavy was not as big a problem as you might think. Not all of the blooms were as large and petal filled as the garden catalogs depict; still they were very pretty and were nice in mixed bouquets.
Alana

Alana, thanks for sharing your experience with 'Snow Puff' I have been eyeing that in the catalogs and passed it over thinking it would definitely be top heavy and do a lot of toppling. I had Double Click one year and didn't enjoy it because of that. Maybe I will give 'Snow Puff' a try. Thanks!