Is Leyland Cypress deer resistant?
Cupressocyparis leylandii
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Leyland Cypress
Planted everywhere for fast screening and the cause of more boundary disputes than any other tree, because it does not stop at the height you wanted and will not regrow from bare wood if you cut it back. Also prone to canker and bagworm. Almost always the wrong choice; a mixed hedge or Japanese cedar serves better.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 94 to 142 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- High
Similar to Leyland 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 Leyland 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 Leyland Cypress 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 Leyland Cypress belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Leyland Cypress
- Is Leyland Cypress deer resistant?
- Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Leyland Cypress grow in?
- Leyland Cypress is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 10. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Leyland Cypress grow in shade?
- No. Leyland Cypress wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.