Is Atlas Cedar deer resistant?
Cedrus atlantica
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Atlas Cedar
The blue form is one of the most striking large conifers available, and the weeping form is trained over frames into remarkable shapes. Both eventually need serious space. Wants full sun and sharp drainage, and dislikes wet heavy ground and cold exposed wind.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 236 to 354 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Deer-resistant alternatives to Atlas Cedar
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Atlas Cedar keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Atlas 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
- Atlantic White CedarChamaecyparis thyoidesZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- Balsam FirAbies balsameaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
Protecting Atlas 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 Atlas Cedar grows
Hardy across most of these 46 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
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Atlas Cedar belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Atlas Cedar
- Is Atlas Cedar deer resistant?
- Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Atlas Cedar grow in?
- Atlas Cedar is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Atlas Cedar grow in shade?
- No. Atlas Cedar wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Atlas Cedar get?
- Mature height is roughly 480–720 in. Growth rate is moderate.