Is Boxwood deer resistant?
Buxus sempervirens
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Boxwood
Alkaloids make it genuinely unpalatable, and it is the default evergreen hedge for gardens where deer have eaten everything else. The modern problem is boxwood blight, a fungal disease that has spread widely since arriving in North America around 2011. It shows as dark leaf spots and black streaks on the stems, then rapid defoliation from the bottom up. There is no cure. It survives in fallen leaves and on tools, so buy from a clean source, avoid overhead watering, and clear debris out from under the plants. Boxwood leafminer is the other common complaint and is cosmetic by comparison. Roots are shallow and resent cultivation, so mulch rather than dig around an established hedge.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 24 to 47 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- None
- Evergreen
- Containers
What to plant it with
- Hellebore
Evergreen structure with something flowering at its feet in February.
Keep apart from
- English Ivy
Ivy climbs into shrubs and shades them out. Keep it well away from anything you want to keep.
Similar to Boxwood
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatumZones 2–8Rarely damaged
- BarberryBerberis sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BayberryMyrica pensylvanicaZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Blue Mist ShrubCaryopteris clandonensisZones 6–9Rarely damaged
- BroomCytisus sp.Zones 5–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Bush CinquefoilPotentilla fruticosaZones 2–7Rarely damaged
Where Boxwood grows
Hardy across most of these 49 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
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Boxwood belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Boxwood
- Is Boxwood deer resistant?
- Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Boxwood grow in?
- Boxwood is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Boxwood grow in shade?
- Yes. Boxwood tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Boxwood get?
- Mature height is roughly 60–240 in. Growth rate is slow.
- Is Boxwood toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Boxwood as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.