Is Common Horsechestnut deer resistant?
Aesculus hippocastanum
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Common Horsechestnut
Magnificent in flower and a considerable nuisance afterwards, dropping conkers and their spiny husks across whatever is beneath. Leaf blotch and leaf miner make it look scorched by August in most years. The red horsechestnut is smaller, cleaner and far less affected.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 236 to 354 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- High
Deer-resistant alternatives to Common Horsechestnut
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Common Horsechestnut keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Common Horsechestnut
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 Common Horsechestnut
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 Common Horsechestnut grows
Hardy across most of these 48 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
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Common Horsechestnut belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Common Horsechestnut
- Is Common Horsechestnut deer resistant?
- Common Horsechestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Common Horsechestnut grow in?
- Common Horsechestnut is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Common Horsechestnut grow in shade?
- No. Common Horsechestnut wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Common Horsechestnut get?
- Mature height is roughly 600–900 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- Is Common Horsechestnut toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Common Horsechestnut as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.