The plants were a joy to sprout, and they looked beautiful when I placed them in a few of my flowerbeds late last spring. But by mid-July I was a little concerned about the yellowing foliage, and the problem seemed to be spreading among the plants.
‘Limara Lemon’ is a very pretty and petite lemon-yellow cosmos that grows only 8 inches tall. Every time I was in my yard those cheery flowers caught my eye and I had to snap a photo:
Most of the cosmos cultivars I’ve ever grown eventually flame out from blooming so heavily and then they die back and disappear. But that usually doesn’t happen until August after I’ve enjoyed a few months of blooms. ‘Limara Lemon’s’ leaves were showing color changes already at the beginning of July.
There must have been some environmental or pathological reason, however, because my plants did not die back and disappear. They continued to bloom even with severely-yellowing foliage.
Cosmos seeds can be sown outside after the threat of frost has passed in the spring and the soil has warmed. You can also start them inside about 4 weeks before planting time. Because the ferny foliage doesn’t take up a lot of space, cosmos make good accent plants for a vegetable garden where they will attract pollinators. Compact annuals like ‘Limara Lemon’ can also be sown among spring-flowering bulbs to add some color to your flowerbeds after the tulips and daffodils have died back.
The yellowing foliage concerned me, but I’m not ready to write off ‘Limara Lemon’ just yet. This little plant is flashy and cheery, and I’m going to give it another try this year.