Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' (Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Bright Lights Sulphur Cosmos, Orange Cosmos.

More about cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights'

About Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights'

Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' · also called Bright Lights Sulphur Cosmos, Orange Cosmos · flowering

'Bright Lights' is a sulphur cosmos bearing semi-double blooms in vivid orange, gold and yellow over more sharply toothed, less ferny foliage than garden cosmos. Heat- and drought-loving, it is shorter and bushier than C. bipinnatus and flowers tirelessly from summer to frost, drawing bees and butterflies. It thrives on neglect in poor, well-drained soil and full sun.

Cold limit: USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) · RHS H3 (18-32°C)

What cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights''s hardiness rating actually means

Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' is half-hardy (RHS H3). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H3 means: Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze. On the US scale that maps to USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about −5 to 1 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H3 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights'

Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' cold hardy?

Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' is half-hardy (RHS H3). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) (and sheltered UK gardens) cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights'?

Cosmos sulphureus 'Bright Lights' is rated USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) and RHS H3 — Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze.

Can cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 2-11 (grown as a warm-season annual) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect cosmos sulphureus 'bright lights' from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.