212 · Cosmos Xanthos

About this plant

The first true yellow cosmos and a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner — big soft lemon blooms fading to cream at the edges, with fringed, faintly ruffled petals. It is dwarf and early, so it flowers sooner than other cosmos and holds itself up without staking, in a pot or at the front of a bed. Among the most productive cut flowers per square foot you can grow. Note: Frost tender — plant out only after all frost danger has passed. NOT IN Bloom at the sale; expect first flowers around 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; front-to-mid border, patio container, or cutting row. Its dwarf height suits edging where taller cosmos would flop.

Spacing

10 in (Baker Creek and Gardenia)

Size

24 in tall x 16 in wide (Gardenia); Floret reports 24–36 in in cutting-garden conditions

Support

Bush / compact — little or no support

Care

Sun

6–8 hours full sun

Water

Average water; moist well-drained soil, but drought tolerant once established

Feed

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

Pick / harvest

Harvest when buds are just cracking but not fully open — they continue opening in the vase. Vase life roughly 5–6 days; cut hard and often to keep it producing.

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

Butterflies and hummingbirds (Gardenia), plus honeybees and native bees. Open single form with an accessible central disc.

Days to bloom

60–90 days (Baker Creek); 75–90 days (Floret)

Heat (our summer)

Good — drought tolerant, thrives in low-desert summer heat

Cold

No — half-hardy annual, not frost hardy. Plant only after all frost danger passes (Baker Creek)

Color

Soft pale lemon to butter-yellow, fading toward creamy white at the petal edges, with a deeper yellow eye. Large single flowers about 2 in across. A genuinely rare color for Cosmo

Edible

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