Gloria is a very beautiful, profusely flowering cosmos variety with brilliant striking pink flowers and a contrasting crimson ring on a yellow core. Very easy to grow.
Indoor sowing: March - April
Outdoor sowing: end of May - June
Germination: 5 - 14 days
Germination temp.: 18-20 °C
Sowing depth: ½ cm
Sowing in rows: 25-30 cm
Planting distance: 30 cm
Planting position: sunny
Flowering period: July - October
Sow indoors from the end of March. Sow in a warm room or use a propagator. The bottom temp. must be at least 18°C. It's important that the temperature is as constants as possible to ensure a good germination. Don't let the temperature drop during the night. Use a tray or seperate pots filled with moist potting soil. Cover the seeds with approx. ½ cm of soil. Keep warm and moist during sowing and germination. Cover the pots or trays with a lid or clingfilm.
Remove the lid or clingfilm when the seedlings emerge. Put the seedlings in seperate pots when they're approx. 5-7½ cm in size. Harden them of for about 10 days during the day in the end of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Put them after this period on a sunny plot. Put 30 cm apart. Cosmos needs a very sunny plot and doesn't require a specific soil type. It has a good resistance against drought. Water when the soil is dry for a longer period.
Sow outside on a sunny plot from the end of May, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrosts. Sow thinly in rows approx. 30 cm apart and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil or rake them gently in. Keep moist and weedfree. Thin the seedlings when they're approx. 5 - 7½ cm in size to approx. 30 cm apart. Cosmos needs a very sunny and sheltered plot. They can grow in any soil type. They're drought tolerant. Water when the soil is dry for a longer period. They can sow themselfs out.
