So, what's a Mexican Aster (AKA Sulphur Cosmos, Garden Cosmos)? Spanish priests grew this half-hardy annual in South and Central America and appreciated how perfect the petals were. They named it Cosmos, which means harmony in Greek.

These flowers are part of the Asteraceae family, grow up to six feet tall, and have pink to violet or white colored daisy-like blooms that cheerfully light up your garden from summer to fall. They're great in a naturalistic flower bed and come in different types, including dwarfs and those with double flowers.

So, we got our Cosmos plant thinking it would be a great addition to our garden. It looked tall enough for the spot we had in mind, and it was on sale, so we didn't think twice. But, boy, were we wrong.

I'd hidden the plant on our deck, but then a couple of days later I forgot how vulnerable it was and replanted it near the fence. Big mistake. The next day, another deer stuck its head through the fence and yanked the poor plant out of the ground and left it looking like a twig.

We've replanted what's left of it in our driveway, far away from the deer's evil grasp. Let's hope it survives and doesn't become a tasty snack again.

We've sacrificed our plant so you don't have to. Don't plant Garden Cosmos for a deer resistant garden. There are better options. Not many, as usual with deer, but definitely several plants deer tend to ignore. Cosmos is not one of them. Check out our 'deer resistant plants' section for other plants we've tested. More - with more hopeful results! - coming up soon, so make sure to bookmark us.

Last modified 2023-09-16 at 06:42