Is Western Arborvitae deer resistant?
Thuja plicata
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Western Arborvitae
Rated Occasionally Damaged rather than Frequently, which makes it a better hedging bet than American arborvitae where deer are present, though young plants still need protection. Much larger in time and it wants the cool moist conditions of its Pacific Northwest home; it struggles in hot dry summers.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 118 to 236 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Deer-resistant alternatives to Western Arborvitae
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Western Arborvitae keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Western Arborvitae
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 Western Arborvitae
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 Western Arborvitae grows
Hardy across most of these 47 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
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- Californianative
- Oregonnative
- Washingtonnative
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- South Dakota
- Montananative
- Wyoming
- Idahonative
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaskanative
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 6 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Western Arborvitae belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Western Arborvitae
- Is Western Arborvitae deer resistant?
- Western Arborvitae (Thuja plicata) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Western Arborvitae grow in?
- Western Arborvitae is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Western Arborvitae grow in shade?
- Yes. Western Arborvitae tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Western Arborvitae get?
- Mature height is roughly 600–840 in. Growth rate is fast.