Is American Arborvitae deer resistant?
Thuja occidentalis
Deer will destroy this. Do not plant it unprotected.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About American Arborvitae
Browsed to a distinct line as high as a deer can reach, and a leading cause of ruined privacy screens. This is the damage that does not recover. Arborvitae will not resprout from bare wood, so once the lower three or four feet have been stripped the plant stays bare there permanently. A hedge planted for screening ends up screening nothing below head height, which is exactly where it was needed. Do not plant it unprotected in deer country. If it is already in and being browsed, netting or fencing through the winter is the only thing that stops it, because winter is when the damage happens. Green Giant is often sold as the deer-resistant alternative. It is browsed noticeably less than American arborvitae but it is not immune, and under real pressure it will still take a browse line.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 8
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 35 to 71 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Low
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- None
- Evergreen
Deer-resistant alternatives to American Arborvitae
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If American Arborvitae keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
- American PlumPrunus americanaZones 3–9Seldom damaged
- Common HackberryCeltis occidentalisZones 3–9Seldom damaged
- Ponderosa PinePinus ponderosaZones 3–7Seldom damaged
- Red MapleAcer rubrumZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- ShadbushAmelanchier canadensisZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Striped MapleAcer pensylvanicumZones 3–7Seldom damaged
Similar to American Arborvitae
Other trees with the same deer rating.
Protecting American Arborvitae
Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.
- Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
Where American Arborvitae grows
Hardy across most of these 48 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missouri
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delaware
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowanative
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 23 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list American Arborvitae belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about American Arborvitae
- Is American Arborvitae deer resistant?
- American Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is rated Frequently Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer will destroy this. Do not plant it unprotected.
- What hardiness zones does American Arborvitae grow in?
- American Arborvitae is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does American Arborvitae grow in shade?
- Yes. American Arborvitae tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does American Arborvitae get?
- Mature height is roughly 480–720 in. Growth rate is moderate.