This Common Cosmos is native from Mexico to Brazil. It makes a great medium to tall annual flower from 18 to 36 inches high or more with flowers red, white, pink, or purple with nice cutleaf foliage. Many people start it from seed, but garden centers sell some started in pots also. The taller cultivars may need staking. I see it occasionally in gardens and landscapes in the Midwestern and Eastern US.

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Cosmos often get powery mildew in my garden so I spray them with the same systemic fungicide that I use on my roses.

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I find cosmos self-sows nicely in my garden and if I wait till the plants are about a foot tall to pull and transplant, they grow about 1/3 shorter than the non-transplants.
This can be a good thing when you want the look but not the height.
They put on their best show in the fall. For earlier blooms, start indoors in pots then set out.

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Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) has been a pollinator magnet in my garden, attracting numerous bees and butterflies with its red and pink blossoms. It is also easy to grow from seed.

Cosmos bipinnatus is enjoyed by many native bee species, including green metallic, sweat, and longhorned bees.

This plant also reportedly attracts beneficial insects to the garden, including lacewings, hoverflies, mini-wasps, and pirate, damsel, and big-eyed bugs. These beneficial insects feed on many different garden pests including: aphids, mealybugs, thrips, small caterpillars, mites, moth eggs, some scales, armyworms, codling moths, European corn borer, flies, gypsy moths, cabbageworms, leaf hopper nymph, insect eggs, tarnished plant bugs, and treehoppers.

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I used to buy them on the flower market, but they never lasted long, became prone to illness and faded away after just a month.
Last year, I decided to try them from seed, so glad I did. The plants grew vigorously and healthy, blooming non-stop and generously, being a valuable source of food for bees, butterflies etc.. we're having an exceptional soft winter so far, and to my astonishment the plant though looking very tatty, still hasn't given up the spirit and that in the end of January!!
I grow them in a big container in a sunny spot on a large balcony, as my garden is too shady for them.

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We planted these once...just scattered seed over a new bed before adding mulch. Three seasons later and they still show up, gladly self seeding. (Though the number of them has decreased slowly). Always a welcome addition to my flower gardens.

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