Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights'
Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 2001
Good Qualities:
Bright colors (5); Easy to grow (2); Mmore of a bedding plant, C. bipinnatus types are better as cuts; Useful filler; Nice variation between deep orange, orange/yellow, and a bicolor striped, I do wish there were more of the bicolor.
Problems:
Too short (3); Hard to harvest (2); Re-seeds; Very branchy; Aphids; Flowers rather short lived on plant, not completely self-cleaning, yellow-orange to red-orange flowers; Deer nearly mowed down newly set transplants, close to 100% gone; My attitude...didn=t cut because I was skeptical it would hold for long enough.
Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating - Wholesale (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Retail (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Consumer (1) | Repeat Again Rating (2) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (2) | Average Spacing (in2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 4.6 | 14.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 177 |
| Range of Responses | 0-10 | 7-28 | 1-3 | 1-4 | 1-5 | 1-4 | 3-5 | 21-432 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Benary Seed
1444 Larson St.
Sycamore, IL 60178
Comments:
Similar to Diablo, Mona=s Orange and Mona=s Yellow; Short stems, small flowers.