Is Callery Pear deer resistant?
Pyrus calleryana
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Callery Pear
Planted in enormous numbers for its spring blossom and then regretted. The branch structure is so narrow-angled that mature trees split apart in storms, and it has become one of the worst invasive trees in the eastern United States, banned in several states. Do not plant it.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Average garden soil
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 177 to 236 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- High
Deer-resistant alternatives to Callery Pear
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Callery Pear keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Callery Pear
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
- Atlas CedarCedrus atlanticaZones 6–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting Callery Pear
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 Callery Pear grows
Hardy across most of these 50 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
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Callery Pear belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Callery Pear
- Is Callery Pear deer resistant?
- Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Callery Pear grow in?
- Callery Pear is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Callery Pear grow in shade?
- No. Callery Pear wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Callery Pear get?
- Mature height is roughly 360–600 in. Growth rate is fast.
- Is Callery Pear invasive?
- Callery Pear is listed as invasive or restricted in OH, PA, SC, NC, VA, MD, NJ, NY, IL, IN, MO, KY, TN. Deer leaving it alone is not a reason to plant it. Check your own state before buying.