About
Cosmos bipinnatus 'Pied Piper Red' is a sturdy, upright annual that exhibits a bushy growth habit. Its finely dissected, feathery leaves provide a lacy backdrop for the blooms. The flowers feature fluted petals, displaying a rich wine-red hue on their inner surfaces, while the outer petals showcase a softer lavender-purple. This variety produces its distinctive flowers from summer through to the onset of frost.
About the genus
Cosmos comprises both annual and perennial species characterized by either simple or pinnately divided foliage. These plants produce sizable, long-stemmed flowers resembling daisies during the summer months.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Columnar upright
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- Patio and container plants, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in moist, but well-drained soil in full sun. Suited to annual or cut-flower borders or as a summer infill
- Pruning
- Deadhead to prolong the flowering season
- Propagation
- See sowing seeds indoors
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids and slugs
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to grey moulds