If you have a vegetable garden and are looking for the right flowers to plant to keep critters away, we have some ideas for you.
The following plants do a great job discouraging bugs and animals from getting into your vegetable garden. They are functional, for sure, but they look amazing too. So try some of these beauties in your veggie garden!
Alyssum
Alyssum are gorgeous plants that spread along the ground and produce hundreds of tiny flowers. These blossoms bloom all season long, and they come in purple, white, and pink varieties. You can plant Alyssum with basil, lettuce, sprouting broccoli, and bush beans for a stunning aesthetic.
Calendula
Yellow and orange calendula flowers bring a bit of brightness to a cool-season vegetable garden of cabbage, carrots, collards, and kale. Tall calendula varieties can grow up to 18 inches tall, and they’re less prone to mildew, so we suggest you plant these in your garden. As a bonus, you can pluck your calendula petals to use in tea and in beauty products.
Cosmos
There are two common types of cosmos: C. sulphureous, which comes in orange, red, and yellow and Cosmos bipinnatus, which produces the familiar pink and white flowers sometimes called “Sensation” mix. Cosmos keep creatures you don’t want near your flowers away. And, it attracts beneficial bugs and pretty birds.
All of these flowers for a veggie garden are pretty common, which means you should be able to find them in your local nursery. But, if you can’t, you can always order them (or their seeds) online.
The birth month flower for October is the calendula, also known as the pot marigold (so called because traditionally it was used to add flavor and color to meals in the cooking pot, as well as in salads.) The name calendula comes from Latin, for the word meaning ‘first day of the month’, and came about because the calendula can be found flowering almost the whole year round where they are natively grown. Just like the sunflower, the face of the calendula blossom follows the sun; as a result, some gave it the name “Sun’s Bride.” The name marigold refers to “Mary’s Gold” and early Christians often grew marigolds near statues of the Virgin Mother. Their use in religious services far pre-date Christianity, though, with Indians placing garlands of marigolds around sacred statues, and Mayan priests washing their face and hands with calendula-infused water before calling on the spirits. The flower heads can reach almost three inches across, and come in a variety of colors, from yellow, through orange and gold, to red, giving them other nicknames, such as goldbloom and holligold (for holy gold.)
Calendula has many meanings, some contradictory. The Romans found great happiness in its near-constant blooming, and planted it to spread joy and good cheer. Today, though, the flower is commonly to be found in graveyards, and the more usual flower meaning is one of sympathy, sorrow, sadness and grief, and the message that is sent with marigolds is “my thoughts are with you.” You might not want to be too forthcoming with this message if you’re giving them to someone who’s a little sensitive about their age; stick with the Roman message of happiness and joy.
The alternative birth month flower for October is the cosmos, a delightfully fragrant flower that comes in a variety of colors, and give the meaning of peacefulness, wholeness and modesty. 
There is a variety of cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus, more commonly known as “Chocolate Cosmos” that smells very much like chocolate.