2009 Fleuroeselect Novelty Award Winner.

No two flowers are just alike on this award winning Dutch cosmos, which explodes into bloom just 8 to 12 weeks after sowing. Big, bright daisies in bold colors simply cover this sun-loving plant—and that's even before the butterflies, honeybees, and hummingbirds start visiting.

Peppermint Candy (formally known as 'Cosimo Purple Red-White') is a super-easy annual to grow from seed. Pop the seeds into the warm spring soil or start them early in the Bio Dome and then transplant to containers or the annual bed when the warm late-spring weather arrives. Cosmos is a friend to Monarch butterflies, honeybees, hoverflies (a beneficial pollinator in the garden), and even hummingbirds. And this open-pollinated variety is packed with the rich nectar these garden friends need! You will have winged visitors all season long with Peppermint Candy.

But the pollinators are just one small part of this plant's appeal. The real source is those blooms—brilliant magenta-and-white daisies with yellow eyes. No two flowers will be just alike, but all will reach about 2½ inches wide, with overlapping petals and neatly notched edges. Long-lasting, they are just begging to be cut, so you will have to grow a few extra plants just for the purposes of keeping your vases and buttonholes filled. But no worry—the quicker you cut these flowers, the faster Peppermint Candy sets new buds!

Cosmos is often the very first summer-blooming annual to open its buds, and in many gardens it outlasts others by going right into fall. This is important as a bridge between summer and autumn, which can be a uncolorful season in many gardens. Butterflies and bees also appreciate the extended season for filling up on nectar.

Peppermint Candy should reach about 18 to 24 inches high and spread anywhere from 12 to 18 inches wide, staying smaller in containers with less root room. It's a great choice for the vegetable patch and herb garden, because it helps all its neighbors by bringing in "good bugs" to the garden. And it works beautifully in low water settings, where it needs little attention once it finds its feet and begins to flower. So easy!

This beautiful annual won Europe's top award for flowers from seed when it was introduced in 2009, and we have been enjoying it in the sunny garden every year since! Give it a try this season, and we guarantee you'll love the results. Perfect for novice gardeners, children, and all the rest of us too, Peppermint Candy is a treat! Often the very first summer annual to bloom, it sets armloads of magenta-and-white flowers with a small yellow center all summer long.

Great for cutting, bedding, and containers! Bring the garden into floor earlier than ever this year with Peppermint Candy!

Pkt of 30 seeds