Is Japanese Kerria deer resistant?
Kerria japonica
Plant typeShrubHardinessZones 4–9LightPart shade
Mature height36–84 in
BloomSpringMaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Japanese Kerria
Yellow flowers in spring and bright green stems that stay green all winter, which makes it one of the few shrubs with genuine winter stem colour in shade. It suckers steadily into a thicket, so plant it where that is useful. Flowers on old wood, so prune immediately after flowering.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Average garden soil
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 47 to 71 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Japanese Kerria
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 Japanese Kerria grows
Hardy across most of these 51 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
- Hawaii
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Every list Japanese Kerria belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Japanese Kerria
- Is Japanese Kerria deer resistant?
- Japanese Kerria (Kerria japonica) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Japanese Kerria grow in?
- Japanese Kerria is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Japanese Kerria grow in shade?
- Yes. Japanese Kerria tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Japanese Kerria get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–84 in. Growth rate is fast.