One of the easiest plants to grow and one of the most reliable to flower and put on a great show all summer is Cosmos. I think my favourite is ‘Purity’ simply because it has such pure white flowers which highlight and accentuate the rich colours of other plants.
Equally stunning are the single and double pinks and purples which seem to come true from seed every year despite the bees hopping from colour to colour all day long.
Cosmos ‘Double Click Cranberry’
This year I tried a couple of new varieties from which I will collect seed, the unusual ‘Double Click Cranberry’ and the pretty ‘Picotee’ with delightful pinky purple edges.
Cosmos ‘Picotee’
The taller varieties can get a bit ‘top heavy’ and begin to lean or even topple over in high winds but they usually survive if pushed back up and staked. The shorter varieties make colourful front of border plants. They are all very attractive to pollinating insects, flower for months if deadheaded regularly, are drought tolerant and will grow in almost any soil. What more could any gardener ask for?
Davids Garden Diary 
I have grown all these this year. Purity was from the CGS Seed Exchange and one clump is over 6ft high. I’ve been growing them for years, love them all, and can’t decide on a favourite. They also make wonderful cut flowers and last for ages in a vase.
What is the deep pink flower growin with the pale pink cosmos, above the photo of ‘Double Click Cranberry’? It doesn’t seem to be ‘Double Click Cranberry’ even though the colour is similar. Thanks.
Hi Poppy. It is another Cosmos, ‘Sea Shells’ I think.