Is Bloodtwig Dogwood deer resistant?
Cornus sanguinea
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Bloodtwig Dogwood
Grown for winter stems in the orange and red selections, and like all stem dogwoods the colour is only on young wood, so coppice a third of it every spring. Suckers into a thicket, which suits a hedgerow. Deer browse the young shoots.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 59 to 94 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Deer-resistant alternatives to Bloodtwig Dogwood
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Bloodtwig Dogwood keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
- Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatumZones 2–8Rarely damaged
- BarberryBerberis sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BoxwoodBuxus sempervirensZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- DaphneDaphne sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Devil's Walking StickAralia spinosaZones 4–9Rarely damaged
- Fragrant SumacRhus aromaticaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Similar to Bloodtwig Dogwood
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Bigleaf HydrangeaHydrangea macrophyllaZones 6–11Occasionally damaged
- Blue HollyIlex x meserveaeZones 5–7Occasionally damaged
- Carolina RhododendronRhododendron carolinianumZones 5–8Occasionally damaged
- Catawba RhododendronRhododendron catawbienseZones 4–8Occasionally damaged
- Chinese LilacSyringa x chinensisZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
- Deciduous AzaleaRhododendron sp.Zones 5–8, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
Protecting Bloodtwig Dogwood
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 Bloodtwig Dogwood grows
Hardy across most of these 47 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
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Bloodtwig Dogwood belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Bloodtwig Dogwood
- Is Bloodtwig Dogwood deer resistant?
- Bloodtwig Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Bloodtwig Dogwood grow in?
- Bloodtwig Dogwood is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Bloodtwig Dogwood grow in shade?
- Yes. Bloodtwig Dogwood tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Bloodtwig Dogwood get?
- Mature height is roughly 60–180 in. Growth rate is fast.