Antiquity Cosmos Plants

• Variety: Cosmos bipinnatus 'Antiquity'
• Common name: Cosmos / Cosmea / Mexican Aster
• Type: Half-hardy annual
• Flower form: Single
• Colour: Rich burgundy-red aging to salmon, bronze, and rose
• Height: 45–60 cm (18–24 in)
• Flowering period: June–October
• Position: Full sun (minimum 6 hours)
• Soil: Well-drained, ordinary to poor fertility
• Spacing: 30 cm (12 in)
• Good for cutting: Yes
• Container suitable: Yes
• Sold as: Jumbo plug seedlings, hand-sown by us
• Plant outdoors: After last frost (mid-May in most areas)
• Delivered: Late April to May by next-day courier. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Antiquity – A Cosmos That Changes Colour

Antiquity opens a rich burgundy-red with deep plum at the base of each petal. Then, over the following days, each flower fades gracefully through salmon, bronze, and rose. The result is a plant carrying blooms at several stages of this journey at once, a shifting palette on a single stem. A young flower beside an older one on the same branch gives you burgundy next to copper next to dusty pink, and the effect is of something aged and painted rather than fresh from a seed packet. The name fits. It is one of the most unusual cosmos in our range and one of the most rewarding.

At 45–60 cm, Antiquity is also one of the shortest cosmos, compact enough for the front of a border or a pot without staking. The open, daisy-like flowers are a draw for bees and hoverflies all summer. The Spanish missionaries who first grew cosmos in their Mexican gardens named the flower after the Greek word kosmos, meaning an ordered universe, because the petals are arranged with such perfect symmetry. It is one of the few garden plants named for a philosophical concept rather than a person or a place. The finely cut foliage is bright green and feathery, and looks good even before flowering starts in June. One practical note: wait until your seedlings are sturdy before planting out. At this compact size, young plants can be vulnerable to slug damage in the first week or two.

How Antiquity's Colour Works in a Border

The ageing tones of Antiquity look their best against a clean, simple background. Sonata White is the obvious partner: similar height, pure white flowers, and a compact habit that mirrors Antiquity's. A drift of the two, mixed or alternating, gives you a warm-and-cool contrast that works in any sunny border. Behind them, a taller cosmos like Sensation Purity adds a second tier of white at shoulder height.

The faded, antique tones sit well with warm foliage at ground level too. Dark-leaved dahlias like Bishop of Llandaff provide height behind and a foliage colour that echoes the burgundy of Antiquity's youngest blooms. In a large terracotta pot the combination of Antiquity with burgundy heucheras underneath has a richness that belies the simplicity of the planting.

Why Ashridge for Your Cosmos?

We grow all our cosmos ourselves, right here in Somerset. No contract growing, no outside suppliers. We buy in the best seed each year (cosmos does not come true from saved seed, so we source fresh) and every plug is hand-sown, grown on, and hardened off before dispatch. Your plants arrive sturdy and garden-ready.

We dispatch by next-day courier from late April, timed so your seedlings arrive when conditions suit planting out. If anything arrives damaged or fails to establish, our plant guarantee covers you. We are a small nursery and the people packing your order are the same ones who grew the plants.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall does Cosmos Antiquity grow?

Antiquity reaches 45–60 cm (18–24 in), making it one of the most compact cosmos we sell. It rarely needs staking, even in an exposed spot. Space plants 30 cm apart for a full, bushy display. For full growing advice, see our cosmos growing guide.

Can I grow Cosmos Antiquity in a pot?

Yes, Antiquity is one of the best cosmos for containers. Its compact habit means it stays upright in a 5-litre pot without support. Use a half-and-half mix of John Innes No. 3 and multipurpose compost, and feed fortnightly with half-strength tomato fertiliser once buds appear. For full container advice, see our guide to growing cosmos in pots.

What looks good planted with Cosmos Antiquity?

Antiquity's warm, faded tones work best alongside clean whites or cool silvers. Sonata White is the natural within-range partner, matching Antiquity's compact height. Outside the cosmos family, silver-leaved plants like artemisia or stachys at the front of the border catch the light while the dark burgundy floats above. Browse the full range in our cosmos collection.

Are cosmos annuals or perennials?

Garden cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), including Antiquity, are half-hardy annuals. They will not survive a UK winter. Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) is a different plant entirely, a tender perennial grown from tubers. It smells of chocolate because it produces vanillin, the same compound found in vanilla extract, and was considered extinct in the wild for decades, surviving only as a single clone at Kew. Some garden cosmos self-seed in mild areas, which can look like coming back, but it is new plants from dropped seed.

Is Cosmos Antiquity good for cutting?

Yes, though stems are shorter than on taller varieties so Antiquity suits smaller vases and table arrangements rather than big jugs. Cut in the morning when blooms have just fully opened. A small vase of Antiquity at different colour stages, from fresh burgundy to faded rose, has a painterly quality that taller cosmos cannot match.