Is Giant Reed deer resistant?
Arundo donax
About Giant Reed
Enormous and completely deer-proof, but seriously invasive across the southern and western United States. Check your state list before considering it at all.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 8
- Drainage
- Tolerates wet feet
- Water
- High
- Spacing
- 71 to 118 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- High
Similar to Giant Reed
Other ornamental grasss with the same deer rating.
- Big BluestemAndropogon sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Blue FescueFestuca glaucaZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Blue Oat GrassHelictotrichon sempervirensZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Clump BambooFargesia sp.Zones 5–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Feather Reed GrassCalamagrostis sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Fountain GrassPennisetum alopecuroidesZones 6–9Rarely damaged
Where Giant Reed 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 Giant Reed belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Giant Reed
- Is Giant Reed deer resistant?
- Giant Reed (Arundo donax) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Giant Reed grow in?
- Giant Reed is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 10. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Giant Reed grow in shade?
- No. Giant Reed wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.