Is Atlantic White Cedar deer resistant?
Chamaecyparis thyoides
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Atlantic White Cedar
A narrow columnar conifer of coastal freshwater swamps, and it genuinely wants wet acid ground rather than merely tolerating it. Much of its natural habitat has been drained or logged. Deer browse young trees hard, so this needs protection through establishment.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 4 to 5.5
- Drainage
- Tolerates wet feet
- Water
- High
- Spacing
- 71 to 118 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Atlantic White Cedar
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Alternate-Leaved DogwoodCornus alternifoliaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
- American PersimmonDiospyros virginianaZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- AppleMalus sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Atlas CedarCedrus atlanticaZones 6–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- Balsam FirAbies balsameaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
Protecting Atlantic White Cedar
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- 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.
- 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 Atlantic White Cedar 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.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolinanative
- Tennessee
- Georgianative
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermont
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolinanative
- Floridanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippinative
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 17 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Atlantic White Cedar belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Atlantic White Cedar
- Is Atlantic White Cedar deer resistant?
- Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Atlantic White Cedar grow in?
- Atlantic White Cedar is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Atlantic White Cedar grow in shade?
- No. Atlantic White Cedar wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Atlantic White Cedar get?
- Mature height is roughly 720–960 in. Growth rate is moderate.