Cosmos 'Cherry Chocolate'

For Plug Plants:

• Unpack plugs immediately and stand them in water for an hour.
• If you can’t do this, they can sit in their mini greenhouse for a week if upright and not too wet.
• Plugs may be slightly dry or yellow after being in a dark box in the post, but they’ll quickly recover.
• Put them somewhere warm, light and airy such as a windowsill or greenhouse.
• When potting on, handle plugs carefully. Pot on using our 9cm pots in Shuttle Trays, using good multi-purpose compost.
• Give your plants a good water initially, then only when the top compost starts to dry. They don’t like to be left in standing water.
• Plant approximately 20cm apart to allow them room to grow.
• Feed using a high-potash feed such as Blooming Fast Superior Soluble Fertiliser for Flowers & Fruits, to encourage flowering.
• Dead head when flowers fade to encourage more flowers.
• Remember that plants are frost tender and should be protected from frost at all times.

For Potted Grown Plants:

• Dig a planting hole 3 x wider than the roots of the plant you're planting and mix some well-rotted compost or manure with the soil from the hole and use this to re-fill once in place.
• We've found a square hole is better than a round one as the new roots, once they reach the edges tend to grow in a circle round the circumference of the hole whereas when they reach the corners of a square hole, they find it easier to grow through.
• Before planting soak container-grown plants thoroughly and allow to them drain. Remove the plant from its pot and tease out a few of the roots.
• Add Mycorrhizal fungi to the roots when planting to help plants establish quicker.
• Place in the hole at the same level as it was in the pot and refill the hole with the earth removed (backfilling).
• Firm in the soil with your heel, avoiding the root ball and water well.
• Mulch around the base of the plant with a collar, compost, gravel, bark etc. If you're planting into pots, place some old rocks, stones or gravel in the bottom of the pot for drainage and ballast.
• Use the best compost you can buy and some sand or grit for drainage.

Our experienced team at the nursery will always carefully package and send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive once you receive and plant them. Although most plants are extremely tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme of weather conditions, we always avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme frosts or heat is forecast. We also avoid dispatching orders over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. If you have ordered a 'pre-order' item, these will be sent out as soon as possible after the quoted dispatch date and we generally ship your entire order with any pre-ordered items. Once your order has been dispatched, we will send you an email with details on how you can track it.

We send most of our orders via a fully tracked courier service with Yodel. We will send you a tracking link as soon as your order has been dispatched. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, we will not require a signature on delivery, and we ask out couriers to leave your item in a safe place ad your delivery address.

*Please note, once your item has been delivered, we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your delivery address. If you have delivery instruction and require our courier to leave your item in a specific place, please let us know - there is an option to leave a message for the courier at the checkout.

For smaller and single-item orders, we may send these via the post with Royal Mail - Tracking will not be available for orders sent via this method.

**Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.

For all orders, a small delivery fee of £4.99 will be charged or spend over £49.99 for FREE Delivery!