They can be direct sown after your last frost date and should start flowering 6-7 weeks later, depending on conditions. If sown in June 1st, I'd expect to see flowering mid to late July.

'popular plants' are basically idiot proof.. hence the reason why they are popular...

you bought the pack.. so all that is left is to wing it ...

i dont know why you would have to wait until 6/1 in your z6 ... plant them when you plant your tender veg plants ... tomato... etc ... dont forget... for others lacking your two million years of experience ... if plants are not frost proof.. you can still plant the seeds in the ground.. using the 14or 21 days time to sprout.. to overcome the frost/freeze issue ... its a head start ...

and start some early in a flat or pot ... to get an extra month.. whats that old idea.. experiment ...

ken

I don't have experience with Cupcake Cosmos. I have tried Sensation Cosmos, which is very tall and very late to bloom if it blooms at all. Also tried dwarf Cosmos which for me blooms much earlier. Sensation becomes a huge plant, and seems to put all its energy into growing. Dwarf Cosmos is still a nice size, about 3' and blooms a lot. I've had them come up on their own but mainly I've started mine early in a flat indoors.

i dont know why you would have to wait until 6/1 in your z6

If I remember I would likely direct sow them a week earlier given that they probably wont sprout and so wouldn't experience a not unheard of late May frost.

and start some early in a flat or pot ... to get an extra month

Nah. I like direct sowing whenever possible. (There is enough stuff in bloom in our garden that a later start to flower for these Cosmos is just fine.)

Also tried dwarf Cosmos which for me blooms much earlier.

Hey @erasmus_gw, any recommendations for a dwarf variety?

Rouge, Dwarf Cutesy is good. I got my seeds at Walmart. Ferry Morse.

I sow cosmos and tagetes in the ground, at the same time - 1st week of May. They are always up and flowering by 3rd week or so of July. I sow zinnia, also direct, even later - 3rd week of May cos they germinate and are up out of the ground in under a week. My last frost date can be as late as June and I like to grow these tender annuals fast, with no checks to their growth. There is no benefit to be gained by sowing too early.

You must have much warmer conditions than me Rosa. I doubt Tagetes would germinate here before mid June, if then. Not that I’ve ever tried because I don't much like them. I don’t think any of those half hardy annuals would work well direct sown in my cold clay.

Ah, I think I might have drier, sunnier conditions than you, Floral. Probably not warmer but certainly quick to get that way. And for sure, my soil is practically sand and grit...which never really changes much, no matter how much humus I throw around.I surprised myself, after years of tagetes dislike, by growing a much taller, rusty red variety from seeds I snaffled from some garden tour. Just the barest picotee of yellow and often not even that. They germinate easily by 1st/2nd week in June and are in flower in around 40 days. They look pretty good with salvias. I get stuff like cosmos year on year with no effort from me as they seed copiously and overwinter perfectly cheerfully in the light soil. Semi-tender annuals used to be garden mainstays for me (cos I do like a bit of garish mishmash - salpiglossis, zinnias, coleus et al.).

Yes. I’m on quite heavy soil with not much sun. Natural vegetation in my garden would probably be Hartstongue ferns and celandines. I don’t grow any sun loving annuals at home. And on the allotment I leave it mostly to the self sowing hollyhocks and nasturtiums to provide flowers.