Is Eastern Hemlock deer resistant?
Tsuga canadensis
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Eastern Hemlock
The most shade-tolerant conifer in eastern North America and one of the few that will grow beneath other trees. Hemlock woolly adelgid has killed hemlock across huge areas and untreated garden trees will eventually succumb, so plant it only if you are prepared to treat it. Also intolerant of drought, salt and wind.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 118 to 177 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- High
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Eastern Hemlock
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 Eastern Hemlock
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 Eastern Hemlock 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.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinois
- Minnesotanative
- Missourinative
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 26 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Eastern Hemlock belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Eastern Hemlock
- Is Eastern Hemlock deer resistant?
- Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Eastern Hemlock grow in?
- Eastern Hemlock is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Eastern Hemlock grow in shade?
- Yes. Eastern Hemlock tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Eastern Hemlock get?
- Mature height is roughly 480–840 in. Growth rate is slow.