Is Hinoki Cypress deer resistant?
Chamaecyparis obtusa
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Hinoki Cypress
Foliage in flattened fans with distinctive white markings underneath, and the dwarf cultivars are among the best small conifers available. Sold in dozens of forms with wildly different eventual sizes, so buy by cultivar name. Wants moist acid soil and shelter from drying wind.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 71 to 118 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Deer-resistant alternatives to Hinoki Cypress
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Hinoki Cypress keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Hinoki Cypress
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 Hinoki Cypress
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 Hinoki Cypress 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 Hinoki Cypress belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Hinoki Cypress
- Is Hinoki Cypress deer resistant?
- Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Hinoki Cypress grow in?
- Hinoki Cypress is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Hinoki Cypress grow in shade?
- No. Hinoki Cypress wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Hinoki Cypress get?
- Mature height is roughly 600–900 in. Growth rate is slow.