Is Firethorn deer resistant?
Pyracantha coccinea
Plant typeShrubHardinessZones 6–9LightFull sun
Mature height72–216 in
BloomSpring and SummerMaintenanceModerate
About Firethorn
Vicious thorns and heavy orange-red berry crops, which makes it a genuine security hedge. Fireblight and scab are the recurring problems, so buy resistant cultivars.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 71 to 118 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Firethorn
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Firethorn grows
Hardy across most of these 46 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
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Firethorn belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Firethorn
- Is Firethorn deer resistant?
- Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Firethorn grow in?
- Firethorn is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Firethorn grow in shade?
- No. Firethorn wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Firethorn get?
- Mature height is roughly 72–216 in. Growth rate is fast.