These showy, colorful blossoms will have the neighbors talking. This easy-to-grow annual is shorter than most Cosmos varieties, so it fits well in smaller spaces. Cosmos is great for butterfly gardens and cut flower gardens alike.

Because of their Mexican heritage, these bright annuals meet high heat and drought conditions with native beauty and vigor. Spanish conquistadors searching for gold discovered these flowers on their journeys through Mexico. Mission gardens often included these flowers, which priests gave the name "cosmos," the Greek word for a harmonious whole, because of their neatly spaced petals. Cosmos flowers made their way to England with Spanish ambassadors in the late 18th century, and to the United States in the following century.

These can grow up to 48" tall.