Plant Guide

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Annual

cosmos-bipinnatus

Cosmos bipinnatus

garden cosmos, Mexican aster, cosmea, Spanish needles

Tall growing, annual plant with delicate, finely divided foliage. Native to Mexico and southern USA, but naturalised in many parts of the world. Summer flowering with white, pink, or crimson, daisy-like, 8 cm wide flowers with a yellow centre. Attracts butterflies. Many cultivars have been introduced, including dwarf ones (Sonata series) that grow 30-50 cm tall.

Cosmos bipinnatus prefers a sunny position in well-draining soil.  Self-seeds and easy to propagate from seed. Pinch out the tip once the plant is about 15-20 cm tall, to encourage branching. When it reaches flowering size, the plant usually becomes somewhat top-heavy, so will need staking. Deadhead to prolong the flowering season. May suffer from grey mould, aphids, and slugs.

Cosmos is an annual plant, so it flowers, seeds set, and then dies within one year. Once you have planted this in your garden, new seedlings will appear in subsequent years (as long as you give the plants a chance to form seeds before cutting off the spent flowers). Lovely flowering plant for the middle or back of borders. Flowers last a bit more than a week on water.

tropaeolum-majus

Tropaeolum majus

nasturtium, garden nasturtium, Indian cress

Annual trailing plant, native to South America. Rounded to kidney-shaped, light to mid green leaves with wavy margins and long petioles attached to the middle of the leaf blades. Flowering throughout summer with bright yellow, red, orange, or bi-colored, 4-6 cm wide flowers, produced in the leaf axils. Flower corolla with three large and two smaller petals, and a 2-4 cm long spur at the base. The edible flowers, leaves and seeds have a peppery taste. Although Tropaeolum majus is not difficult to keep under control in garden situations, in the wild it has become invasive in several parts of the world.

Prefers a position in partial shade or full sun with some afternoon shade. Flowering is best in soils with a low to moderate fertility. Very easy to grow from seed, planted after the last frost in spring. Spreads by self-seeding. Stems tend to trail along the ground, but when they reach other plants or a structure of some sort, they will happily climb upwards. Leaves are frost-sensitive.

Nasturtium is a lovely, happy, and versatile plant to have in your garden, and very useful in the kitchen. Use the flowers to brighten up a salad, add them to a sandwich, or fill them with cream cheese, guacamole, or feta. You can do the same with the leaves; roll them up and tie the stem around the rolls. Nasturtium does well in containers or hanging baskets, and loves to climb with a bit of help. Great to plant in combination with winter-early spring flowering bulbs, hiding unsightly bulb leaves from spring onwards with lush green foliage and brilliant flower colours in summer.