Cosmos Xanthos – soft lemon colour with award-winning garden performance

Cosmos Xanthos stands out for its gentle lemon-yellow petals that fade softly to cream, a colour that feels fresh, light, and unlike the usual pinks and whites. It earned the Fleuroselect Gold Medal in 2016 for its strong performance, reliable flowering, and naturally compact habit, making it an ideal choice for borders, cottage-style planting, containers, and cutting gardens.

The flowers sit above finely cut foliage on tidy plants, giving you a soft, airy look without the height or wildness of taller cosmos. Xanthos also produces well for cutting, with blooms that hold their colour and shape in the vase.

Growing Conditions

Cosmos Xanthos prefers full sun and free-draining soil. It handles poorer soils well and benefits from a warm spot. Plants reach around 60cm and remain naturally compact and bushy without excessive staking.

Planting Guide

Sowing Indoors: Start from March to April. Sow onto moist compost and lightly cover to a depth of 0.5cm. Keep at 18–20°C. Germination usually takes 7–14 days.
Transplanting: Move seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle. Harden off and plant outside after frosts have passed, spacing at 30cm.
Direct Sowing: Sow outside from late April to May once the soil has warmed. Thin seedlings gradually to 30cm apart.

Care & Maintenance

Watering: Water regularly while plants establish, then reduce frequency. Overwatering can reduce flowering.
Feeding: A light feed once plants start to flower is enough. Rich feeding leads to more foliage and fewer blooms.
Deadheading: Remove faded flowers to keep new buds coming.
Support: Usually unnecessary due to the compact habit, but exposed gardens may benefit from a light stake.

Flowering & Cut Flower Tips

Cosmos Xanthos flowers from June to September. Cut stems when the first few petals have opened. The blooms last well in arrangements and blend beautifully with whites, blues, and soft pinks.

Garden Impact

Xanthos brings a rare pastel tone that softens planting schemes and works beautifully in cottage borders, modern pale-toned gardens, mixed beds, and cutting patches. Its compact height makes it easy to place, and the delicate colour provides a calm counterpoint to stronger summer shades.