Laura, I think that a lot of us have had cosmos that were nothing but jolly green giants with no blooms at all. Research I've read says that a big reason for that is because cosmos needs short-days to bloom well. If they're started early enough, they will bloom in late spring, and keep on blooming through the summer. But, if they are just hitting their stride in the long days of June and July, they will refuse to bloom much, if at all, until later when the days get shorter. I don't really know how important the fertility issue is. ThinMan Here is a link that might be useful: Short-Day Bloomers

Stella is how I eased my way into daylilies. I bought them not really knowing anything about daylilies. I wanted to expand my perennial flower beds. They were pretty, cheap, easy to care for, and hardy in zone 5. Those are my criteria for perennials. Two years later, I still like their pretty faces. The Stellas have quite a few other friends now! (I like the very first dandelions that bloom in the spring too!) Becky

Thank you Silvergold, You are giving some very nice ideas about plant combos. Like Bonnie said, we have unusually cold weather here in Maryland and your pictures are just what we need. I will bookmark this page. I hope I will have a real garden at some point... Bonnie, I live in Montgomery County, not very close to you, but not too far either. I've been lurking a little at the Mid-Atlantic Forum, but did not post there. Since I do not have a garden yet (have a couple of severe plant addictions though) and do not have much to swap, I will not attend your wonderful swap this time. I have to stop ordering for this spring now - I ordered more than 40 types of Lilies already; it is kind of too much for container planting. I thought about spliting some Lily orders with someone in our area, because some wholesale offers are very attractive. For example, Brent and Becky's offers Triumphator for $1 per bulb if you order 25 bulbs. That's unbeatable! We can stay in touch if you are interested in this kind of deals. I would join some gardening club, but I should probably get a garden first :0) BTW, Helen lives in Baltimore area also. She is a very knowledgeable person when it comes to Lilies. I enjoy reading her posts very much. I am so glad to know that there are some Lily lovers in my area! Have a good spring swap, Bonnie!

Mine don't grow that high - 3-4 feet, and they are behind some Cimicifuga racemosa, which grow over five feet. I had originally stopped growing lilies because of the lily beetle and but these persisted though I planted other things around them. the competition may be why they don't get tall enough. I have since decided that I love lilies too much to give up entirely and use the spray.