Cosmos Daydream

Three tones in one flower with no visible join between them: white at the outer edge, pale blush through the middle, and a distinct ring of deeper rose around the small gold disc. At 7 or 8cm across it has the deliberate look of a botanical illustration.

The more useful thing about it is the timing. Most cosmos take eight to ten weeks from sowing to first flower. 'Daydream' takes seven to eight, which sounds marginal and in practice means flowers in June, when the rest of the cosmos are still all leaf. For a cutting patch, it fills the awkward gap between the early hardy annuals and the main summer crop.

It is one of the tallest in the range at 90 to 150cm, so it will want support, and pale petals mark badly in heavy rain. Site it where low morning or evening light can get behind it. Backlit, the white edge glows and the blush centre warms, and that is when the watercolour effect actually happens. Do not feed it. Cosmos on rich ground gives magnificent foliage and very little flower, which is the commonest reason people are disappointed by it.