Is Japanese Maple deer resistant?
Acer palmatum
Plant typeTreeHardinessZones 5–8LightPart shade
Mature height180–300 in
BloomSpringMaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Japanese Maple
Rated only Seldom Damaged, so worth knowing that deer will browse a young one within reach even though they leave mature trees alone. Protect the first few years. Beyond that the main risks are leaf scorch from afternoon sun and drying wind, and verticillium wilt in wet heavy soil. Site it in morning sun with shelter, and never let it sit waterlogged.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 94 to 142 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Japanese Maple
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 Maple grows
Hardy across most of these 49 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
Browse from here
Every list Japanese Maple belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Japanese Maple
- Is Japanese Maple deer resistant?
- Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Japanese Maple grow in?
- Japanese Maple is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Japanese Maple grow in shade?
- Yes. Japanese Maple tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Japanese Maple get?
- Mature height is roughly 180–300 in. Growth rate is slow.