My Deer Garden

Is Panicled Dogwood deer resistant?

Cornus racemosa

White berries on red stalks of gray dogwood
Photo by Mitternacht90, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Occasionally damaged

Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.

Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271

Plant typeShrubHardinessZones 4–8LightPart shade
Mature height120–324 in
BloomSpring and Summer
MaintenanceModerate
Native range29 US states

About Panicled Dogwood

White fruit on bright red stalks, and the stalks stay colourful after birds strip the berries. Suckers into a dense thicket, which makes it excellent for wildlife hedging and wrong for a tidy border. Tolerates poor dry soil better than other native dogwoods.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 7.5
Drainage
Average garden soil
Water
Moderate
Spacing
71 to 118 in apart
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Moderate

Deer-resistant alternatives to Panicled Dogwood

Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Panicled Dogwood keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.

Similar to Panicled Dogwood

Other shrubs with the same deer rating.

Protecting Panicled Dogwood

Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.

Where Panicled Dogwood 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.

Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 29 US states in total.

Browse from here

Every list Panicled Dogwood belongs to.

Hardy in these zones

Common questions about Panicled Dogwood

Is Panicled Dogwood deer resistant?
Panicled Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
What hardiness zones does Panicled Dogwood grow in?
Panicled Dogwood is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Panicled Dogwood grow in shade?
Yes. Panicled Dogwood tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Panicled Dogwood get?
Mature height is roughly 120–324 in. Growth rate is fast.