Keeping Cosmos Short

Is it possible to restrict the height of a tall cosmos? At the beginning of the year, I pre-ordered cosmos seedlings, Apricotta and Apricot Lemonade from Sarah Raven. Apricotta arrived a few weeks ago but when I checked my account last week for an update on Apricot Lemonade, it said that they had been dispatched at the same time. I haven't received them. I sent Sarah Raven an email (apparently that's the only way they're taking enquiries at the moment) explaining the situation and asking if they could send me some replacements. That was last Thursday and I've yet to hear anything back. As it'd been several days, I was toying with the idea of just buying some new ones. When I looked mid-morning, they were still in stock but within the last couple of hours, they've gone out of stock. I'm gutted. In theory, I could use Apricotta in their place instead of what I had planned, but it's too tall. It's supposed to grow to 90cm and I need to keep the height around the 70cm mark. Is there any way of keeping it shorter?

 

I recently needed to contact Sarah Raven @Februarysgirl and it took 10 days before I received a response. Very busy they said with profuse apologies.

 

You could try pinching out the growing tips. The theory is that it makes for a bushier plant with more flowers. Sadly I can never quite bring myself to do it, but as I've got around 100 to plant out this year, I might try an experiment with 50% of them.

 

@Bluejayway 10 days is disappointing to hear but I'm not entirely surprised. You'd think they'd take on additional "summer staff" if it's taking that long to respond to emails.

@AnniD They arrived pre-pinched and I was wondering about perhaps doing additional pinching. I don't know though whether that would delay flowering to the point where it wouldn't be worth it. I always worry when it comes to pinching. I did some annual phlox several weeks ago and it's only within the last week that they've sent out new shoots. At one point I really thought they were done for.

 

I pinch out tips when things seem to be growing straggly, but my friend who is a professional gardener says to be hard on them! So I've done that on some dinner plate hibiscus (with fingers crossed) and within a week the side shoots are already growing on strongly. At this time of year, I'm sure the cosmos will catch up.

 

About a month ago I bought a tray of tall cosmos from a garden centre, they already had some flowers on but when I got home I chopped them in half. I took out all the growing tips and it looked really brutal.

I wanted them for a pot so I didn’t want them to grow too tall and it seems to have worked. They have really bushed out and are flowering away. I don’t normally do this and end up with very tall leggy cosmos so I’d recommend it.

 

Its almost like the Chelsea chop.

 

These companies are quick to take your money, if it takes ten days to get a reply take your business elsewhere.

 

Thank you all for your advice Because where I was going to put the Apricot Lemonade cosmos is fairly prominent, I don't really want to risk experimenting in such a visible spot. What I'm planning to do now is plant a mix of rudbeckia Sahara and callistephus Apollonia Chamois (I already have seedlings on the go). I'll experiment with the Apricotta somewhere that won't break my heart if it doesn't go the way I'd like it.

 

Hi

I ordered plants , one variety arrived that was late , emailed asking where the other plants are getting sent out , no answer , I looked on the site and still available . Following day that were no longer available.. after several calls i actually spoke to Sarah to be told that the nursery had a problem with not updating the office what was not available . Then I was told that was the last of the stock and that will be it for the year. No apology , she didn’t like that I told her WASNT my problem lol that YOUR staff are not updating.
I will never use again and seeing your post looks the norm

Spruce

 

Ho, that's great I'll try that too. Mine are just baby seedlings as yet but I do like the idea of not having to stake them up later.

 

@Spruce I don't know if it's necessarily the norm. I've ordered from them a lot over the last few years and have never had any real problems. The couple of times that there were issues (the fault of Yodel), I contacted them via their live chat and it was sorted out in minutes. Considering how quickly issues can be resolved that way, getting rid of it doesn't seem the best of ideas. An old schoolfriend of mine had dahlia problems with them a couple of months ago. She rang them so getting rid of the live chat function, isn't something recent. Things with them have been a bit weird this year, I haven't been getting emails to say things have been dispatched until after I've actually received them, which makes no sense. Whilst it may not necessarily be their fault that the cosmos didn't arrive, that I won't be receiving a replacement because of their disorganisation, is entirely their fault. If every spring/summer they're incapable of answering queries in a timely fashion, I'm not feeling inclined to order from them again.

 

Pay with a credit card (not debit!). Easy to claim; loss of funds focusses management somewhat.

 

@infradig I always use PayPal as it's incredibly easy to get money back by raising a dispute. The only down side is that disputes have to be raised within 90 days of purchase. Unfortunately for me, I placed the order on New Year's Day so well outside the 90 days. We'll see what happens.

 

Re Sarah Raven, I came across this earlier today,.

" The gardening and lifestyle retail brand, Sarah Raven, has been acquired by its original founder and creative director, Sarah Raven.

Established in 2008, SarahRaven.com has delivered millions of plants, bulbs, seeds, and horticultural products to customers across the UK.

Following a 35% decline in sales after COVID-19 and ongoing financial pressures due to cost inflation, increased National Insurance costs, unseasonal weather, and the implementation of new ERP systems, the business faced further challenges from an unexpected VAT demand from HMRC (currently under appeal). These circumstances led the company to consult advisors regarding restructuring options.

The Board of Directors engaged Begbies-Traynor Group (BTG) for restructuring advice and legal counsel from Osborne Clark. After considering all possibilities, they determined that acquisition by Sarah Raven and management would provide the most favourable outcome for creditors, customers, and staff.
After completion of this process, Sarah Raven, along with a small group of investors, acquired the business assets, ensuring customer continuity at SarahRaven.com, maintaining employment, and providing a foundation for the brand’s future.

Sarah Raven stated, “The past few years have been challenging for British horticultural retailers, suppliers, and entrepreneurs, and despite significant effort, this restructure is necessary to ensure the ongoing viability of SarahRaven.com.”

A new capital investment will support a transition to a more streamlined operating model, concentrating on core profitable categories and third-party fulfilment.

Alison Doherty (CEO) and Gavin Street (CFO) will be leaving the business. Stuart Hudson has been promoted to Managing Director, Dominic Rose will move to Executive Chair, while Jake Newbould remains as Marketing Director and Sarah Raven as Creative Director. "