Chocolate Cosmos won't flower??

I've had this plant for a month and when purchased it had over 20 heads on it which looked close to flowering. However last week I woke to find that under strong winds some of the branches looked like they had broken. On removing said branches, others seemed to just fall off the main stem. I am now left with one branch with several buds on and two new shoots. Can anyone explain what's wrong with it?? And why I've not had one flower??

 

Sorry to hear about your cosmos, Winwns. The stems are quite brittle and could therefore have been damaged by strong winds. Another possibility is slug/snail damage. Unfortunately molluscs are rather partial to this particular plant, so you may need to protect it from their activities. Finally, are you keeping your plant well watered? Cosmos can frazzle if it is short of water and this could be why your flowers have failed.

Chocolate cosmos is similar to a dahlia in that it grows from a tuber and dies down for the winter. Yours will soon be packing up for the year even if you're giving it perfect conditions. It's not fully hardy, so many people lift it and store in a frost-free place until the spring. If you want to leave it in the ground, give it a good mulch as protection. New growth starts fairly late, so don't be too quick to assume it's died over the winter!