Is Daphne deer resistant?
Daphne sp.
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Daphne
The best scent of any late-winter shrub. Also notoriously short-lived, dying suddenly and without warning, so site it where losing it will not leave a hole in the design.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Sharp, gritty. Will rot in wet soil
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 35 to 47 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Daphne
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
- BoxwoodBuxus sempervirensZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- BroomCytisus sp.Zones 5–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Where Daphne 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 Daphne belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Daphne
- Is Daphne deer resistant?
- Daphne (Daphne sp.) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Daphne grow in?
- Daphne is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Daphne grow in shade?
- Yes. Daphne tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- Is Daphne toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Daphne as toxic to dogs and cats. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.