210 · Cosmos Apricot Lemonade

About this plant

The first cosmos to combine buttery lemon, blush pink and apricot in one flower, and no two blooms come out quite alike — silky, delicate, and beautiful in a vase. It is the tallest of our cosmos at 2 to 3 feet and a magnet for honeybees and native pollinators. Handle the rootball gently when planting: this one has famously delicate roots. Note: Frost tender — plant out only after last frost, into warm soil. Delicate roots: disturb the rootball as little as possible. NOT IN Bloom at the sale; expect flowers from about June.

Planting it at home

When to plant out

Wait until after our last frost (about mid-February) and warm soil — usually March. Until then keep the pot in a sunny, sheltered spot and bring it in on cold nights.

Where

Full sun, mid-to-back of the border or a cutting row; give it 2–3 ft of height and some shelter from wind

Spacing

10 in (Baker Creek)

Size

2–3 ft tall (Baker Creek)

Care

Sun

6–8 hours full sun

Water

Moderate; drought tolerant once established. Avoid rich soil and heavy feeding

Feed

A light flower fertilizer every 3–4 weeks while blooming (general guide).

Pick / harvest

Cut when buds are just cracking open but not fully unfurled; they finish opening in the vase. Morning harvest, roughly 5–6 days vase life, cut often.

Deadhead

Cut off spent flowers to keep new blooms coming.

Good to know

Caution

Edibility unsure. Do not eat.

Grown from

Seed — sown by FHCG volunteers

Life cycle

Annual

Heirloom or hybrid

Heirloom — saved seeds grow true

Pollinators

Honeybees and native pollinators, which Baker Creek notes it attracts extensively; also butterflies

Days to bloom

60–90 days to maturity (Baker Creek)

Heat (our summer)

Good — drought tolerant once established, performs through low-desert summer

Cold

No — frost tender

Color

Blended shades of buttery lemon, soft pink and apricot, often several tones in a single bloom with a dusky rose flush toward the center — every flower slightly different. Delicate,

Edible

Unsure. Some sources say the petals are edible. Do not eat.