Is Cornelian Cherry deer resistant?
Cornus mas
Occasionally damaged
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
Plant typeTreeHardinessZones 4–8LightPart shade
Mature height180–300 in
BloomSpringMaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Cornelian Cherry
Yellow flowers on bare wood in very early spring, weeks before forsythia, followed by tart red fruit that makes excellent preserves. Far tougher and more disease-resistant than the flowering dogwoods, and it takes hard pruning into a hedge.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 118 to 177 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Cornelian Cherry
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 Cornelian Cherry
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 Cornelian Cherry 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
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Cornelian Cherry belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Cornelian Cherry
- Is Cornelian Cherry deer resistant?
- Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Cornelian Cherry grow in?
- Cornelian Cherry is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Cornelian Cherry grow in shade?
- Yes. Cornelian Cherry tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Cornelian Cherry get?
- Mature height is roughly 180–300 in. Growth rate is slow.