My Deer Garden

Plant record · Shrub

Is Rosebay Rhododendron deer resistant?

Rhododendron maximum

White rosebay rhododendron flowers
Photo by HoosierMan1816, CC0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 3 of 4 · Occasionally Severely Damaged

Partly. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.

Type
Shrub
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Light
Full shade to part shade
Bloom
Summer
Maintenance
Moderate
Native range
21 US states
Toxic to
dogs, cats, and horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Rosebay Rhododendron

The largest native rhododendron, forming impenetrable thickets in Appalachian ravines and reaching tree size in age. It flowers later than most, in early summer, and is the most shade-tolerant of the group. Same acid, moist, sharply drained requirement, and the same winter browsing problem.

Do deer eat rosebay rhododendron?

Yes. Rutgers rates Rhododendron maximum Occasionally Severely Damaged, one tier better than the hybrid rhododendrons sold at garden centers, and NC State's entry for the species uses the same sentence it uses for the genus: "This plant is frequently damaged by deer." The two are not in conflict. Rutgers counts how often the damage was severe, and a thicket of rosebay in an Appalachian ravine survives a great deal of browsing that would finish a single shrub in a foundation bed. In the open it is the same big evergreen leaf at the same height through the same winter.

Where it grows

NC State: zones 3a to 7b, 5 to 15 feet, from deep shade to full sun, flowering in summer, later than any other rhododendron here. The poison severity is Low, grayanotoxins, with NC State's note that moderate amounts of leaf or nectar pose little hazard; the ASPCA lists it for dogs, cats and horses and the callout below carries that.

Protecting rosebay rhododendron

The same as any rhododendron: a cage or a wrap through the winters until it is above reach, which for a plant that reaches 15 feet is a real prospect, or the egg spray on a thirty-day cycle from leaf drop to bud break. A planting in real shade under a canopy has one advantage over a foundation bed, which is that deer in a wood have other things to eat, and the shade page is honest that nobody has measured how much that helps.

If it is browsed

The summer flowers are on the tips that a winter browse removes. A rosebay stripped to bare wood is slower to recover than the plants deer leave alone and faster than the hybrids, and the thicket habit means a browsed plant is usually surrounded by unbrowsed stems from the same root.

Protecting Rosebay Rhododendron

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

  1. 1How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  2. 2Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  3. 3Check 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.

What to plant instead of Rosebay Rhododendron

Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, and rated better for deer. If Rosebay Rhododendron keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.

Soil and care

Soil pH
4.5 to 6
Drainage
Consistently moist
Water
Moderate
Spacing
94 to 142 in apart
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Moderate

Tolerances and uses

Evergreen

Where Rosebay Rhododendron grows

Hardy across 50 states on zone range alone, and native to 21 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — not hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Rosebay Rhododendron

Is Rosebay Rhododendron deer resistant?
Rosebay Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged, step 3 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
What hardiness zones does Rosebay Rhododendron grow in?
Rosebay Rhododendron is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Rosebay Rhododendron grow in shade?
Yes. Rosebay Rhododendron tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
Is Rosebay Rhododendron toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Rosebay Rhododendron as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.

Browse from here

Every list Rosebay Rhododendron belongs to.

All shrubs·Sometimes destroyed·Shade plants·Evergreen shrubs

Hardy in these zones

Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .