Just before the candy tufts went to seed in June and July, I started cosmos, amaranth and asters in six packs. When the seedlings were about two to four inches tall, I pulled up all the candy tufts and most of the poppies and replaced them with the seedlings. Our typically cold, calendar summer wiped out most of these new plants, so I tried one more time with six packs and even planted several directly into the gardens, something I don't like to do because of the proven appetites of our slugs, snails and birds.
In the end, a dozen or so cosmos came up to put on a spectacular show. I've never before planted these, so I was surprised when they reached two to three feet tall and some produced flowers nearly four inches across.
They are an ideal plant in San Francisco for late summer and early fall, which is our hottest time of the year. They don't seem to mind the cool, long nights as long as the days are sunny and warm.
My favorite this year is the whitish pink one with the double petals almost shaped like trumpets.
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