Is Smooth Hydrangea deer resistant?
Hydrangea arborescens
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Smooth Hydrangea
Native, and it flowers on new wood, so cut it hard in spring and a cold winter never costs you the display. The very large-headed cultivars flop badly in rain; the newer strong-stemmed selections or a ring of support solve it. Tolerates more shade than most hydrangeas.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 59 to 71 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Deer-resistant alternatives to Smooth Hydrangea
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Smooth Hydrangea keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Smooth Hydrangea
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Bigleaf HydrangeaHydrangea macrophyllaZones 6–11Occasionally damaged
- Bloodtwig DogwoodCornus sanguineaZones 5–7Occasionally damaged
- Blue HollyIlex x meserveaeZones 5–7Occasionally damaged
- Carolina RhododendronRhododendron carolinianumZones 5–8Occasionally damaged
- Catawba RhododendronRhododendron catawbienseZones 4–8Occasionally damaged
- Chinese LilacSyringa x chinensisZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
Protecting Smooth Hydrangea
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- 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 Smooth Hydrangea grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesota
- Missourinative
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Floridanative
- Alabamanative
- Mississippinative
- Louisiananative
- Arkansasnative
- Oklahomanative
- Kansasnative
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 26 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Smooth Hydrangea belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Smooth Hydrangea
- Is Smooth Hydrangea deer resistant?
- Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Smooth Hydrangea grow in?
- Smooth Hydrangea is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Smooth Hydrangea grow in shade?
- Yes. Smooth Hydrangea tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Smooth Hydrangea get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–60 in. Growth rate is fast.
- Is Smooth Hydrangea toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Smooth Hydrangea 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.