Heirloom

Double Click Mix

Cosmos bipinnatus

Photo: Arturo Castro Castro · Wikimedia Commons · (CC BY 4.0)

Tall plants with large fully double and semidouble blooms. Shades of carmine, pink, and white make this a great cut flower and garden addition. Cosmos are also known as garden cosmos.

Harvest

75-90d

Days to harvest

📅

Sun

Full sun to partial shade

☀️

Zones

2–11

USDA hardiness

🗺️

Height

2-4 feet

📏

Planting Timeline

Zone:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Start Indoors

Transplant

Direct Sow

Start Indoors

Transplant

Direct Sow

Showing dates for Double Click Mix in USDA Zone 7

All Zone 7 flower →

Zone Map

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Double Click Mix · Zones 2–11

What grows well in Zone 7? →

Growing Details

Difficulty

Easy

Spacing12-18 inches

SoilWell-drained, tolerates poor soil

WaterModerate; drought tolerant once established

SeasonWarm season annual

ColorCarmine, pink, and white

Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar

Zone	Indoor Start	Transplant	Direct Sow	Harvest
Zone 3	April – May	June – July	June – August	—
Zone 4	March – April	June – June	June – July	—
Zone 5	March – April	May – June	May – July	—
Zone 6	March – April	May – June	May – July	—
Zone 7	February – March	April – May	April – June	—
Zone 8	February – March	April – May	April – June	—
Zone 9	January – February	March – April	March – May	—
Zone 10	January – January	February – March	February – April	—
Zone 1	May – June	July – August	July – September	—
Zone 2	April – May	June – July	June – August	—
Zone 11	January – January	January – February	January – March	—
Zone 12	January – January	January – February	January – March	—
Zone 13	January – January	January – February	January – March	—

Succession Planting

Direct sow every 3 weeks from April through early June in zone 7, stopping before daytime highs are consistently above 90°F — cosmos will still germinate in heat, but seedlings get leggy and flower quality drops. Germination runs 7-14 days, and first blooms come around 75-90 days from seed, so a June 1 sowing puts cut flowers in your hand by late August into September, which is prime time before frost shuts things down.

If you're growing specifically for cut flowers, stagger two or three small batches rather than one big planting. Double Click Mix blooms fast and hard, then slows — a fresh wave coming every few weeks is more useful than a single glut of flowers in July that you can't keep up with.

Complete Growing Guide

Tall plants with large fully double and semidouble blooms. Shades of carmine, pink, and white make this a great cut flower and garden addition. Cosmos are also known as garden cosmos. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Double Click Mix is 75 - 90 days to maturity, annual, open pollinated. Notable features: Use for Cut Flowers and Bouquets.

Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Occasionally Dry. Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Rapid. Maintenance: Low. Propagation: Seed. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.

Harvesting

Double Click Mix reaches harvest at 75 - 90 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.

Type: Capsule.

Storage & Preservation

For fresh blooms, store "Double Click Mix" cosmos in a cool location away from direct heat and ethylene-producing fruits. Keep stems in water at room temperature (65-70°F) with 40-60% humidity for optimal vase life of 7-10 days. For dry storage, harvest fully open blooms, hang upside down in a dark, well-ventilated space for 2-3 weeks until papery. Pressed flowers preserve color well in books or a flower press for 1-2 years. Alternatively, silica gel drying retains shape and vibrancy in 5-7 days for long-term display.

History & Origin

Double Click Mix is open-pollinated, meaning seed saved from healthy plants will produce true-to-type offspring. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.

Origin: Mexico and southwest North America

Advantages

+Large fully double and semidouble blooms provide stunning visual impact in gardens
+Beautiful carmine, pink, and white color mix offers versatile garden design options
+Excellent cut flower variety with long vase life for indoor arrangements
+Easy to grow with minimal care requirements for beginner gardeners
+Tall plants create dramatic backdrop borders and vertical garden interest

Considerations

-Requires 75-90 days to bloom, making it unsuitable for short seasons
-Tall growth habit needs staking or support in windy locations
-Self-seeds prolifically, potentially becoming invasive in following seasons

Companion Plants

Marigolds (especially Tagetes patula) are the most useful neighbor here — their root secretions deter nematodes in the soil, and their scent disrupts aphids scouting for a landing spot. Alyssum pulls in parasitic wasps and hoverflies within about 3-4 feet of the planting, and those insects do real work against the aphid and whitefly pressure cosmos can attract by midsummer. Nasturtiums are worth tucking in nearby as a trap crop: aphids pile onto them fast, which lets you deal with the infestation on one expendable plant instead of picking it off your cosmos stems one by one.

Fennel produces anethole and other volatile compounds that suppress germination and slow growth in many annuals — keep it at least 3 feet away, and further if you can manage it. Black walnut is a harder problem: juglone saturates the soil across the entire root zone, and that toxicity doesn't disappear quickly after a tree is removed. Don't put cosmos anywhere that's been shaded or rooted by one in recent years.

Plant Together

Marigolds

Repel aphids, whiteflies, and nematodes while attracting beneficial insects

Alyssum

Attracts beneficial insects like lacewings and provides ground cover

Nasturtiums

Act as trap crops for aphids and cucumber beetles

Petunias

Repel aphids, tomato hornworms, and squash bugs

Lavender

Repels moths, fleas, and mosquitoes while attracting pollinators

Cosmos

Attract beneficial insects and provide complementary colors and heights

Zinnias

Attract butterflies and beneficial insects while providing long-lasting blooms

Catmint

Repels ants, aphids, and rodents while attracting beneficial pollinators

Keep Apart

Black Walnut Trees

Release juglone toxin that inhibits growth and can kill sensitive flowering plants

Eucalyptus

Produces allelopathic compounds that suppress growth of nearby plants

Fennel

Inhibits growth of most garden plants through allelopathic root secretions

Pests & Disease Resistance

Common Pests

Spider mites, aphids, whiteflies

Diseases

Powdery mildew, root rot in wet conditions

Troubleshooting Double Click Mix

What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.

White powdery coating on upper leaf surfaces, usually showing up in late summer when nights cool down

Likely Causes

Powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum) — fungal spores spread by wind, thrives when humidity is high but leaves stay dry
Crowded spacing below 12 inches that cuts off airflow between plants

What to Do

1.Remove and trash the worst-affected stems — don't compost them
2.Spray remaining foliage with a diluted potassium bicarbonate solution (1 tablespoon per gallon of water) every 7 days
3.Next planting, hold to the 18-inch spacing end of the range and avoid overhead watering in the evening

Leaves stippled with tiny pale dots, fine webbing visible on undersides — plant looks dusty and dull

Likely Causes

Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) — populations explode in hot, dry conditions above 85°F
Dusty conditions on bare soil around the base of plants, which mites prefer

What to Do

1.Knock mites off with a strong spray of water directly to the undersides of leaves — do this 3 days in a row
2.Apply insecticidal soap (2-3% solution) to leaf undersides; repeat every 5-7 days until population drops
3.Mulch the soil surface to reduce dust and keep root-zone temps lower

Stems turning brown and mushy at the soil line, plant wilting even when the soil is wet

Likely Causes

Root rot — most often Pythium or Rhizoctonia species — triggered by consistently waterlogged soil
Planting in low spots or heavy clay that holds water after rain

What to Do

1.Pull the affected plant — it won't recover, and leaving it spreads the pathogen
2.Check drainage before replanting: water should drain within an hour after a heavy rain; if it doesn't, amend with coarse perlite or raise the bed
3.Let the soil dry out more between waterings for the remaining plants — cosmos handles drought well once past the seedling stage

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do Double Click Mix cosmos flowers last in a vase?▼

Double Click Mix cosmos typically last 7-10 days in fresh water with proper care. Change water every 2-3 days, trim stems at an angle, and keep them in a cool location away from heat and direct sunlight to extend vase life. Remove any foliage that sits below the water line to prevent bacterial growth.

Is Double Click Mix cosmos good for beginners?▼

Yes, Double Click Mix is excellent for beginners. Cosmos are one of the easiest flowers to grow, requiring minimal care, thriving in poor soil, and needing only moderate watering. These heirloom plants are forgiving of mistakes and produce abundant blooms with simple direct sowing after the last frost.

Can you grow Double Click Mix cosmos in containers?▼

Absolutely. Double Click Mix cosmos grow well in containers 12 inches or larger with drainage holes. They prefer full sun to partial shade (4-6+ hours) and well-draining soil. Container growing allows you to move plants to maximize sunlight and makes it easier to harvest blooms for bouquets.

When should I plant Double Click Mix cosmos seeds?▼

Direct sow seeds after the last frost date when soil has warmed. You can also start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost and transplant seedlings outside after frost danger passes. Seeds typically germinate in 7-14 days and blooms appear in 75-90 days from planting.

What colors do Double Click Mix cosmos come in?▼

Double Click Mix produces a beautiful blend of carmine red, pink, and white fully double and semidouble blooms. This variety's color range makes it versatile for garden designs and cut flower arrangements, offering vibrant warm tones and elegant white accents.

Are Double Click cosmos good cut flowers?▼

Yes, Double Click Mix is specifically noted as an excellent cut flower. The tall plants produce large, showy double blooms on long stems perfect for arrangements. Harvest in the morning when stems are hydrated, and they'll last 7-10 days in water, making them ideal for fresh bouquets.