Cosmos Pinwheel White

Cosmos are generally very rewarding and low-maintenance annuals that even a complete beginner can grow without any problems. The Pinwheel White variety will also reward you with a flood of beautiful pink flowers. You have two options for sowing – either start the plants indoors or sow them directly into the flowerbed. If you choose direct sowing, wait until mid-May, when there is no longer a risk of ground frost. However, for earlier flowering, we recommend starting them in a seed tray, which you can begin as early as late March or early April. Cosmos grow relatively quickly, so sowing too early would lead to leggy and weak plants.
When starting indoors, choose a medium to larger seed tray (for example, with 40 or 60 cells) so that the root system has enough space for healthy development. Place 1 to 2 seeds into each cell and cover them with just a very thin layer of substrate, approximately 0.5 cm. Cosmos seeds need warmth to germinate, so place the tray in a room with an optimal temperature of 18–21 °C. Under these conditions, the first green leaves will appear very quickly; germination usually takes just 7 to 14 days. Keep the substrate constantly slightly moist, but be careful of overwatering, which could lead to the seedlings rotting.
To ensure your Cosmos form richly branched bushes full of flowers, we recommend pinching the tops. You can easily do this while the seedlings are still in the tray and have at least two to three pairs of true leaves. Transplant them out to the flowerbed only after the danger of frost has passed. Because the Sensation Pinkie variety grows quite vigorously and tall, maintain a generous spacing of 30 to 40 cm. Choose a fully sunny spot with well-draining soil for them. The advantage of Cosmos is that they do not require over-fertilized soil – on the contrary, they produce more flowers at the expense of leaf mass in poorer soil.
Harvesting flowers:
If you want your Cosmos to last as long as possible at home (usually 5–7 days), the key is timely cutting, ideally in the morning when the plants are most hydrated.
The ideal stage for harvesting is when the bud is just starting to open, but the petals are not yet fully spread into a horizontal position.
If you are harvesting already bloomed flowers, choose ones where the yellow center is still closed (not fully open).
Cosmos are "flower machines." The more you cut them, the more they produce. We definitely recommend removing faded flowers (deadheading).