Cosmos Learning Curve?

 At the moment, some parts of the garden look pretty good

 

 I did not expect a precipitous learning curve from Cosmos.   I got one.  

Timing of the seed sowing?  The heavy May-Gray and June-Gloom?  Inept pricking out and potting?  Inept pinching?   Insufficient starter fertilizer? 

The seed package advised, "best sown in place", meaning directly in the chosen location.  I tried that two years ago.  Many healthy seedlings appeared.  Then they all vanished--due to slugs, earwigs, blankety-blank rabbits?

This year I sowed Cosmos seeds in cells, separating some because more than one seedling appeared per cell.  They seemed to lag because of a long stretch of all-day May-Gray/June-Gloom.  I was attentive, yet they all look rather etiolated, even though they were on a sunny--well, if it wasn't overcast it was sunny-- patio, and I knew to pinch them to make them bushier so as to get more flowers.

Hmmm...

This week I planted Cosmos anywhere there was a sunny spot in the ground.  

 Thankfully, within a day or two of planting they looked better.  The first seeds planted, old ones from last year, produced four plants which are close to flowering size now.   So that's my Cosmos learning curve.  Now, the wait for flowers.  In the meantime, other plants currently worth looking at.  The three Leucospermum seedlings are growing:

Ditto some late foxgloves:

A favorite Gerbera:

Hemerocallis that may or may not be 'Victorian Lace' is having a very good year. 

Agave 'Blue Glow' with a white Gaura (Gaura is called something else now?), Calylophus hybrid and Centaurea ragusina

Agave ovatifolia with the Centaurea:

Big silvery cones now on Leucadendron galpinii.  It's still surprisingly happy in a pot:

As is Leucadendron 'Ebony':

 Same plant, glamour lighting:

'Holyhill Spiderwoman' Dahlia:

No name Fuchsia:

Hydrangea, Agapanthus, Hybiscus syriacus 'Chateau de Versailles'

Agapanthus 'Storm Cloud'(?):

Here is the area where I spent a lot of time earlier this year digging and removing a beautiful but rampaging Eriocapitella.  Since that first big removal two additional removals of sprouts that appeared.  I filled the area with Dahlias and a few other plants, and planted a few Cosmos here and there in the empty spots:

 Back in March:

'Princess Alexandra of Kent' rose saved from being ruined by hot weather:

Coming up on three months since surgery, knee is doing very well.  I'm mostly always walking without a cane and can do quite a lot in the garden again--not everything, but quite a lot.  Spot-watering and deadheading, the sum total of summer gardening here, is easily doable. 

 

 Natasha--we have found and are working with a new Veterinarian to try to diagnose her continuing issues.  All in all, she's feeling pretty well.  Boris is well.