Is Cosmos deer resistant?
Cosmos sp.
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Cosmos
Sow direct and never feed it, because rich soil gives six feet of ferny foliage and almost no flowers. Deadhead consistently and it runs until hard frost. Self-sows freely enough that one sowing often supplies several years.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Average garden soil
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Deer-resistant alternatives to Cosmos
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Cosmos keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
- Angel's TrumpetBrugmansia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneRarely damaged
- AnisePimpinella anisumGrown as an annual, any zoneRarely damaged
- Annual VincaCatharanthus roseusGrown as an annual, any zoneRarely damaged
- Dusty MillerCentaurea cinerariaGrown as an annual, any zoneRarely damaged
- False CamomileMatricaria sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneRarely damaged
- LarkspurConsolida ambiguaGrown as an annual, any zoneRarely damaged
Similar to Cosmos
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual GeraniumPelargonium x hortorumGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- ColeusColeus sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- DahliaDahlia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Garden BalsamImpatiens balsaminaGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Garden PetuniaPetunia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Gerbera DaisyGerbera jamesoniiGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
Protecting Cosmos
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Cosmos grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Cosmos belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Cosmos
- Is Cosmos deer resistant?
- Cosmos (Cosmos sp.) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Cosmos grow in?
- Cosmos is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Cosmos grow in shade?
- No. Cosmos wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.