Cosmos - Bright Lights grows 18 inches - 24 inches tall, and flowers come in shades of gold, orange, red and yellow. Plants are very adaptable and are suitable for cutting, beds & borders, and the pollinator garden. Flowers attract honey bees and wild bees. It is also suitable for meadow gardening and roadsides. Tolerates poor soils.
 
Cosmos is a fast growing annual with golden-yellow, orange and red flowers in the Asteraceae (daisy) family.  The Tall Mixed variety can grow up to 4 feet tall providing sticking color from summer until the first frost. The Bright Lights cultivar will give you lots of 2-inch double and semi-double bright, non-fading blooms in shades of orange, red, and yellow, and will get 18 to 24 inches tall on well-branched plants.
 
Plant cosmos in a location that receives at least a half-day of direct sunlight in moist to dry, porous soils. Sow the seeds outdoors after the danger of frost is past and when the soil has warmed to at least 65 degrees. Rake seeds into a loose soil; planting seeds too deeply will hinder germination. Keep the soil moist for 5 to 10 days after seeding. Seeds will germinate in 7 to 21 days. Cosmos needs only basic care to provide an abundance of colorful blooms all summer. 
 
When the spring-planted cosmos appears to have an abundance of dried seed, do not remove the plants. Encourage re-bloom by cutting the plants back to 12 to 18 inches high. They will be back in bloom in a month and the seed that is cut off will fall to the ground, germinate in the hot soil, and increase the density of your plant population and the eventual bloom display.
Use in the background as a bedding plant or for a vase of beautiful cut flowers.