Is Japanese Cedar deer resistant?
Cryptomeria japonica
Plant typeTreeHardinessZones 5–9LightFull sun
Mature height600–840 in
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Japanese Cedar
Soft awl-shaped foliage and shredding red-brown bark on a fast conical evergreen, and one of the better large screening conifers where deer have ruined arborvitae. The foliage bronzes in hard winter sun and cold wind, which alarms people but is normal; site it out of exposed north-westerly wind and it stays greener.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 118 to 236 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Japanese Cedar
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Allegheny ServiceberryAmelanchier laevisZones 4–8Seldom damaged
- American PlumPrunus americanaZones 3–9Seldom damaged
- Austrian PinePinus nigraZones 4–7Seldom damaged
- Chinese Fringe TreeChionanthus retususZones 5–9Seldom damaged
- Chinese Paper BirchBetula albosinensisZones 5–7Seldom damaged
- ChokecherryPrunus virginianaZones 2–6Seldom damaged
Where Japanese Cedar 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
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Japanese Cedar belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Japanese Cedar
- Is Japanese Cedar deer resistant?
- Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Japanese Cedar grow in?
- Japanese Cedar is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Japanese Cedar grow in shade?
- No. Japanese Cedar wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Japanese Cedar get?
- Mature height is roughly 600–840 in. Growth rate is fast.