Often confused for a daisy, cosmos add vibrant white, pink, and red flowers to your home garden. A native of Mexico, the cosmos is an annual in most zones, meaning it will only grow for one season. Many home gardeners elect to grow cosmos as a border or edging plant because of its ease of care and aesthetically pleasing colors.

So you’ve decided to plant cosmos in your garden? According to our research on cosmos, you can plant anything nearby!

Cosmos thrive in hot and dry climates, thanks in part to their origins in Central America. They do not require rich soil, making them an ideal candidate to fill out a portion of the garden that cannot grow producing crops. Start your cosmos straight from seed by scattering them throughout the space they’ll be grown in, and cover them with an inch or two of soil. Cosmos doesn’t require much water, and thrives in full sun; so the only real maintenance you’ll need to do is deadhead your plants during the flowering season.

Cosmos does not have any food value, and are purely for aesthetics and pollinator attraction. By coupling different varieties of cosmos, home gardeners can create a colorful palate of vibrant flowers bordering their garden. The Cosmic Orange cosmos, which is, you guessed it, orange, and the Bright Lights Mix, which produces a variety of yellows, oranges, and reds, can give the quintessential English cottage garden look to your home from early spring all the way to the last harvest of fall.