Is Japanese Plum Yew deer resistant?
Cephalotaxus harringtonia
Plant typeShrubHardinessZones 6–9LightFull shade to part shade
Mature height60–120 in
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Japanese Plum Yew
Looks like yew and is rated Rarely Damaged, where true yew is Frequently Severely Damaged. If deer have ruined your yews, this is the direct substitution.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 59 to 94 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Japanese Plum Yew
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatumZones 2–8Rarely damaged
- BarberryBerberis sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BayberryMyrica pensylvanicaZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Blue Mist ShrubCaryopteris clandonensisZones 6–9Rarely damaged
- BoxwoodBuxus sempervirensZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- BroomCytisus sp.Zones 5–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Where Japanese Plum Yew 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 Japanese Plum Yew belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Japanese Plum Yew
- Is Japanese Plum Yew deer resistant?
- Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Japanese Plum Yew grow in?
- Japanese Plum Yew is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Japanese Plum Yew grow in shade?
- Yes. Japanese Plum Yew tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Japanese Plum Yew get?
- Mature height is roughly 60–120 in. Growth rate is slow.