My Deer Garden

Plant record · Shrub

Is Evergreen Azalea deer resistant?

Rhododendron sp.

Pink evergreen azalea flowers
Photo by KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 4 of 4 · Frequently Severely Damaged

No. Deer will destroy this. Do not plant it unprotected.

Type
Shrub
Hardiness
Zones 6–9, genus range
Light
Part shade
Bloom
Spring
Maintenance
Moderate
Toxic to
dogs, cats, and horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Evergreen Azalea

Among the worst plants you can choose where deer are resident. The leaves stay on all winter, which is exactly when forage runs out, so the plant is eaten precisely when nothing else is available. Deciduous azaleas fare slightly better since they are bare in the hungry months. If you want evergreen structure in acid shade, use inkberry holly or Japanese pieris, both rated Rarely Damaged.

Do deer eat azaleas?

Yes, and the evergreen kinds worst of all. NC State's entry for the genus is unambiguous: "this plant is frequently damaged by deer" and "deer browse this plant." Rutgers rates the evergreen azalea Frequently Severely Damaged, the bottom tier, with the pinxterbloom azalea and rhododendron beside it; the deciduous azalea sits one tier up. NC State notes that among azaleas "most are deciduous but there are many evergreens," and the paragraph above explains why the leaf habit is the whole difference: an evergreen azalea is the only green thing in the bed in February.

Keeping deer off azaleas

A fence, or a cage through the winter. A spray of 20 percent whole egg, which Colorado State rates High, buys about thirty days at a time and needs renewing all winter on a plant that is being browsed in the months nothing else is available; in a bad year that is five applications between November and April. For a shrub of this size the fence-height page is the realistic answer, and for a new planting the substitution above, Japanese pieris or inkberry, is the cheaper one.

Do azaleas grow back after deer eat them?

An azalea browsed to bare stems will usually break new growth from old wood the following spring, and a plant that has been eaten for three winters running is a plant with no framework left to break from. The flower buds are the first loss, because they sit at the tips through winter. NC State also records the grayanotoxins in every part of the plant, and adds that "ingestion of moderate amounts of azalea (nectar or leaves) poses little toxic hazard" to people; the page's callout below covers cats, dogs and horses.

Protecting Evergreen Azalea

Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.

  1. 1How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  2. 2What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
  3. 3Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  4. 4Check 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.

What to plant instead of Evergreen Azalea

Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, and rated better for deer. If Evergreen Azalea keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.

Soil and care

Soil pH
4.5 to 6
Drainage
Consistently moist
Water
Moderate
Spacing
35 to 59 in apart
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Moderate

Tolerances and uses

Evergreen

Where Evergreen Azalea grows

Hardy across 46 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Evergreen Azalea

Is Evergreen Azalea deer resistant?
Evergreen Azalea (Rhododendron sp.) is rated Frequently Severely Damaged, step 4 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Deer will destroy this. Do not plant it unprotected.
What hardiness zones does Evergreen Azalea grow in?
Evergreen Azalea is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. 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 Evergreen Azalea grow in shade?
Yes. Evergreen Azalea tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
Is Evergreen Azalea toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Evergreen Azalea 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.

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Every list Evergreen Azalea belongs to.

All shrubs·Deer favorites·Part shade plants·Evergreen shrubs

Hardy in these zones

Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .