The white cosmos seedlings started flowering in July with one flower each on a spindly stem. Since then the increasingly sturdy stems have branched and spread, with layer after layer of flower buds, until each patch of seedlings has grown into a cloud of delicate white flowers.

 

 

The pure white flowers of Cosmos Purity are less delicate than they look and make surprisingly long-lasting cut flowers.  They’re quite weather proof too, standing up well in rain and wind. They do need regular dead-heading to keep flowering but, on a sunny day when bees are buzzing, nipping off the shriveled, brown flower heads is a pleasant chore.