'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' Cosmos Seeds (P) Pkt of 25 seeds

Incredible. That's all we can say about this entirely different look for that old favorite, Cosmos bipinnatus. Instead of lying flat, the petals on 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' curve up and inward, creating a bowl or chalice look. And as if that weren't enough, most are double or semi-double, with a pinwheel pattern of smaller petals around the frilly yellow center of each bloom. There has never been anything like 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix', and it's creating a sensation. No wonder it won a Fleuroselect Novelty Award in Europe.

This mix offers three vintage shades: pale lavender, soft pink, and creamy white. As the white blooms mature, they acquire pink tones; the lavender varies from lilac to mauve; and the pink can be several shades. In other words, you will grow a multi-hued bouquet with 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix', the only constant being that the blooms will be cup-shaped, softly colored, and utterly beautiful.

The flowers begin in midsummer in most climates, arising on long, wiry stems that hold surprisingly well when the flowers are cut for the vase. Cosmos is a pollinator attractant too, so expect butterflies and bees to visit your 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' all season. This cut-and-come-again variety rewards your prompt deadheading with new buds, and the show can continue well into fall in most climates. Just give 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' sunshine and well-drained soil; it will do the rest, reaching up to 4 feet high in full bloom, and spreading about 2 feet wide. Magnificent even in hot, dry, poor soil, 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' is a scene-stealer in the annual bed.

And don't limit these beautiful flowers to one area of the garden. Cosmos is a fine choice for the vegetable patch; as a member of the Aster family, it does a good job of repelling "bad bugs" and attracting beneficial insects and wasps to help your veggies grow and bloom their best. Native to Mexico, it has a natural resistance to most pests and diseases, so 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' will grow readily with very little attention from you.

This mixture came about by accident, as so many wonderful things do. Gardener Diane Engdahl of Santa Rosa, California, discovered a cosmos in her garden that set unique cup-shaped blooms. She carefully saved seeds and sent them off to a grower in England, who cultivated and refined them for several years before introducing them to Europe. The reaction was nothing short of a sensation—you simply couldn't find 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' seeds the first spring they were on the market. We are delighted to bring them back home and make them available to "native" gardens here.

'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' is every bit as simple to sow and grow as other Cosmos. Direct sow the seed into the warm spring soil, or to get an even earlier start on those blooms, sow the seed indoors a few weeks before last frost using your Bio Dome or seed flats. If direct sowing, thin the seedlings to about 18 inches apart. That's all there is to it.

The total time from direct sowing outdoors to blooming is a little under 4 months. Resist the impulse to set seed out the minute you can in spring—they really need heat and sunshine to sprout and grow their best. If your season is short, definitely start the seeds indoors in your Bio Dome and then transplant when the soil has warmed up and the nights are above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cosmos is the classic cottage garden plant, and 'Cupcakes and Saucers Mix' introduces a really exciting, beautiful new look. Make this annual a centerpiece in your garden and vase this season.