Yes, aren't Cosmos wonderful? I first saw them (or took note of them) when I was performing at the Disneyland Hotel in California years ago. I have grown them every year since.

What I learned... zinnias can be my friend again. :-) I didn't grow them for years because they kept getting very brown leaves and stems. But, they are a delight this year!

I also learned that I STILL underestimate how much mulch I'll need.

Ditto about the mulch, scully! Same is true for me as far as soil conditioner is concerned.

The one thing I've learned-someone should put out a book of exercises to get us/keep us in shape for those gardening moves-all those muscles that I seem to suddenly become aware of having even this time of year after being out all summer! Oh well. I'm trying to LOL. Now, if I could only straighten up!

Just from my own observation, not to plant seeds. lol.

Next year I'm going to grow Cosmos since I now have something they can lean against, but I'll be putting the plants in instead of seeds. I have no patience and by the time they get tall, it will be time for a freeze!

I sure would love it if you all took a picture of your cosmos at a disance so I can see them fully. Pretty please? They are by far my faorite plant!

That japanese maples in my area are grafted onto hardier stock.

Well, one of my favorite things I learned on GW this year (I am always learning new things here) is about Proliferation. I first learned about it on the Rose forum, in responce to a question about it. From there I learned that it happens to many plants, and that daylily proliferations can be rooted to make new plants. Very interesting, and neat!
CMK

Oakley, when did you plant the seeds? I did the Bright Lights on July 11, so they took about 7 weeks to start blooming. Wish I could share a pic, but something's going on with my camera. It tells me the memory card is full, but it's not. I've already had the camera repaired once, so it may be time to buy something new.

Sowing seeds in winter is more rewarding than sowing seeds in the heat of July. Both emotionally and literally.

Have to disagree with that, Tom. It only takes a few minutes. I'm enjoying some color in the garden that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Finally learned that a sharp bread knife is the best tool for cutting back daylilies, salvias, any of those big bulky perennials. To think that I used to use a scissors!

A bread knife? Why not hand pruners?

Natal, I seem to have better luck in winter. And I get more germination. That's the only reason. I sow seeds all year. On the lookout now for dogwoods and Calycanthus floridus.

N, I never planted the seeds, only put in plants that were already doing good and in bloom. Unfortunately they didn't last long because of our strong summer winds and they all broke. Now I have a good spot to give them support.

I'm going to be experimenting next summer by buying plants and putting in seeds.

Token, Cosmos seeds aren't winter hardy.

Oakley, someone on another forum told me to reformat my memory card, so I'm back in business. I picked some cosmos this morning, because rain was in the forecast. And for once, the forecast was right. So the pic doesn't show a lot, but you get the idea.

Oakleyok, I planted cosmos last year. This year, I just moved the ones that popped up where I wanted them. In July, I spread seeds over bare grass I had just sprayed with RoundUp. I mulched it with leaves expecting a few to germinate. They've been blooming a couple weeks now. I've decided I like the color here, but not cosmos. Not sure what I'm going to do, but I am collecting seeds for next year. I plan to sow lots of them in the spring down in the gully. If I get any germination, I'll be happy. Once you have them, you have them.

Well, this seems to have turned into a cosmos thread.

I had some nice blooms from seed sown 4 years ago, but I don't think it reseeded itself; next year I threw seed out in a different location. We had a wet summer and what grew got mildew before blooming. Last year none germinated and this year the few that did are, as I write this, only a couple of inches high. Very strange, since they supposedly like it hot and dry . . . which it certainly has been here!

HI Natal and all!

This summer I have learned that there are a lot of nice people here who share my enjoyment of growing whatever it is we enjoy growing; and we all enjoy sharing with each other our experiences, our frustrations and our joys.

Thank you all for the pleasure.

Duane

I have been using a kitchen knife for years in the garden! They do everything. You can divide plants with ease (no need to get the pruners clogged or dull), dig out weeds with long tap roots, edge and cut out grass with precision, and stab slugs.

I don't much care for annuals, but I must say that I am starting to like Cosmos. They are nice fillers. I recieved a packet of free Bright Lights this spring. They started blooming a few weeks ago and they are quite pretty.
CMK

I've learned that this is the "go to" group for answers, advice and encouragement.
I keep a notebook right by the computer and I'm always jotting down ideas, info on plants and things I'd like to try.
The biggest "sanity saver" for me was a post (from Nell, I think) regarding bloom times in different zones. A tag that says "blooms all summer" means something entirely different to me than someone in the deep South or the PNW or where ever.
Before I stumbled onto GardenWeb, I'd never heard of Lasagna beds or winter sowing.

As for the Cosmos, I grew Double Click and Seashells in the cutting gardens. I love them, I'll do more next year.
BBH

Please tell more about the kitchen knife as a tool in the garden, specifically for edging. I would love something easier that what I am doing now, hand clipping or with a shovel.
As for the cosmos, I have loved them for years, heard they were so easy, and NEVER had success until this year. I have the bright orange ones and would love it if next year I can grow more. They are so showy. And the seeds are so easy to collect but I don't want just the orange! I did winter sow them, so at lease here in north MS, they survived.
Laurie

-Laurie, using the knife for edging probably isn't as easy as the shovel. But I like it because it gives me more control when cutting the sod out. I can make the beds sharply curved this way. You can't really trim the grass with it (like with a weed whacker or clippers). I use it for keeping the edges tidy and ripping out the parts of grass that grow back in the beds.

But I really wouldn't be without them! You can retire old ones or pick one up on the cheap at a second-hand shop.
CMK

Your all's Cosmos are gorgeous! I notice they don't have a windbreak around them. Is it because you live in town and don't get much wind?

I'm getting excited about planting them next year. I'll definitely plant them very close together so they can support each other. Thankfully the new flowerbeds are protected from wind.

In the last year, I've learned (on this forum)...

1. To sow larkspur and poppies... and do it in autumn. Very rewarding results.
2. To sow zinnias in succession... still blooming, but none have really stopped!
3. To pinch back sedum tips in summer to prevent splaying... and create more and more and more sedum by planting the tips!

I'm sure I've learned more, but these stood out as making a HUGE difference in my garden.

Cameron

Cameron, what is splaying?

I haven't tried poppies yet, but have my seeds ready to sow come cooler weather. That's thanks to this forum too.

Natal -- splaying open is when the branches of the plant are long and lanky and fall over with heavy blooms, breaking off. To spread out or apart. Even with the pinching back, the tall sedum is still breaking off a bit as the blooms are so heavy!

Cameron

Here is a patch of my cosmos. Just to the left of the gorgeous anemone. By the way, if you've never grown anemone, do it now. :-)

I am usually a lurker, but I love reading the comments and looking at the beautiful pictures. I have to comment on the kitchen knife....please be safe and purchase a hori-hori knife specifically made for gardening. It is my best garden investment ever. They do come in different styles...mine is serrated on one side and sharp on the other, pointed which is great for digging weeds and planting small transplants. Also, it is very strong and less chance of breaking as a kitchen knife might do.

I second the hori-hori knife, one of my most used garden tools, now if I could just find where I left mine.
Winter sowing is the new thing I have learned about thanks to this forum, I'm going to give it a try. Until now when sowing seed it has always been under lights or in the greenhouse, this is going to free up valuable space.
The great thing about gardening is no matter how long you've been at it there is always something new and interesting to try.

Annette

I learned that you can go from lawn to giant cottage garden in a year if you go nuts with winter sowing!

(I'm still just kind of lurking here until more of the perennials bloom next year and the gardens start looking truly like a cottage garden.)

Lynda

scully~What a captivating sequence, please name the iris and other plants in that scene. I love my anemone, the bees are loving it too! Looks like mine is in more shade. I learned this year to cram as many plants into a bed as possible, less room for weeds. :)

prairiegirl - thank you. :-) I don't believe there are any iris in bloom there. I just moved a couple iris into the garden, but after they had finished blooming. Perhaps you mean the glad foliage right in front of the statue?

I also have some sort of herb in the very front. Honestly, not sure what it is anymore, catmint (walker's low, I believe), quite a few coneflowers and a tree that is some sort of hybrid gone wrong. haha... it was supposed to be a weeping peach tree. But, the cross didn't work. The company set me my money back and now it's just a cute little tree. :-)

The very latest little gem that I've picked up on this forum is . . . the hori-hori knife! I must have one now.

I found a knife in my garden, I assume it was left by the previous gardener. It is a wicked looking maybe a skinning type of knife, so any other thought is just too scarey. I may use it to deadhead my hostas (for HVX prevention)--a lot easier to sterilize than a pruner.

I didn't learn it this year, but have been reading and thinking about the lasagne garden mentioned here and I finally tried it--nothing like actually doing it.

Re cosmos: I saw my first doubles and bicolors at the Renaisance Festival and first dwarfs at the club.

Oh and, Tom mentioned a little side curve off my straight walk & a fountain/bench- the thought excites me, we'll see about the finances. Of couse, I probably could build a fountain or as I look out my study window, I have a b bath and tall sturdy feeder where I want the little curve, Maybe add the curve to incorporate them, a few posies, a bench, maybe a pot and I think it would be charming--if I do say so...

Sorry, I just noticed you said "gem" not gems.
gramma jan

I learned there's still a forum on GW that's fun and always interesting for me to check in on. As far as cosmos go, the orange ones do well for me. The mixed cosmos I grew from seed, mostly ended up growing laterally because of the wind here. They don't look so great then. Some of the mixed variety I grew ended up with foliage which turned brown from the 100+ degree days we had this summer. I might just stick with the orange ones from now on or I'll have to stake the mixed variety better than I did this year.

Robin

Sowngrow, I'm with you. My day isn't complete without checking in on this forum. Because of the wonderful contributions of the "regulars," I feel I now have some direction. Watch out for me next year! As for cosmos, I dearly love them but they just won't grow for me. They take forever to bloom but I'm not going to stop trying. As I said ... next year ...

Judy