Bright Lights Cosmos is a brilliant annual that bursts with flowers in shades of orange, yellow, and flame red, blooming early and prolifically throughout the season. This heirloom variety of Cosmos sulphureus grows as a compact mound reaching up to 36 inches tall, crowned with 2 to 3 inch daisy-like blooms that make exceptional fresh-cut flowers. Hardy in zones 9 to 10, it reaches full color in 50 to 90 days and thrives in full sun with minimal fuss, even in poor soil and hot conditions. The plant's drought tolerance and low-maintenance nature make it a natural choice for gardeners seeking reliable, long-lasting color without constant attention.
12
Full Sun
Moderate
9-10
?in H x ?in W
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High
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Golden sunburst blooms arrive early in the season and keep coming through summer on sturdy, mounding plants that handle heat and drought like champions. The brilliant warm tones, orange, yellow, and flame red, create a high-impact display, whether planted in drifts along a fence line or used as a familiar companion to sunflowers and wildflower mixes. These flowers have become a floral shop favorite precisely because they stay vibrant in the vase for days, offering garden-to-table color that rivals any cultivated arrangement.
Bright Lights Cosmos is grown primarily for its vibrant, long-lasting cut flowers, which are prized by florists and home arrangers for adding warm, cheerful color to seasonal bouquets and fresh floral displays. The mounding, bushy growth habit and prolific blooming also make it a natural choice for garden design, where it highlights the back of borders, screens fences and siding, and creates bold color statements in open spaces when planted in drifts.
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Transplant seedlings outdoors in early spring once danger of hard frost has passed. Harden off seedlings before moving them to their final location in full sun.
Sow seeds outdoors in early spring when danger of hard frost is over in well-worked, fertile soil. Sow seeds 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart in rows 10 inches apart, or broadcast thinly for bed planting. Firm soil well over these irregularly shaped seeds to ensure good germination. Seeds sprout in 7 to 14 days at soil temperatures between 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut flowers in the morning after dew dries but before the heat of the day for longest vase life. Select fully open blooms with color fully developed. Cut stems at a 45-degree angle and immediately place in cool water. These daisy-like blooms stay vibrant in the vase for days, making them excellent for fresh arrangements.
Deadhead spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering throughout the season, though the plant produces prolifically even without regular deadheading.
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“Bright Lights Cosmos is an heirloom variety of Cosmos sulphureus, a species native to Mexico that has been grown and saved by gardeners for generations. The plant's reputation as an easy, prolific bloomer with brilliant warm tones has made it a staple in seed catalogs and home gardens, passed down through families and gardening communities seeking reliable, low-maintenance color without demanding care or perfect soil.”