Deer Orchard™ Starter Pack | Zone 6

An old reliable member of the red oak group that produces reliable mast, it also grows and matures rather fast compared with most other oaks. Tolerant of a variety of soil conditions as long as it doesn’t stay wet too long, it is a great choice for deer and turkey plots. Full sun to part-day sun suit it well, though brightest conditions will result in heavier acorn crops.

A wide-ranging tree that is adaptable to a diverse array of habitats, from the baking hot, dry limestone “Hill Country” of central Texas to moist floodplain margins in central Florida, while also enduring the cold winters in the northern extent of its range from Iowa to southern New England. Over time it will produce shoots from the roots, forming a colony of trunks that provide valuable cover for wildlife. The orange fruit which can range up to the size of a small plum, begin ripening in fall and are often retained on the tree after leaf drop well into December in southern latitudes. Note that this species has separate male and female plants, so to ensure fruit production multiple plants of our unsexed saplings should be sited near each other to increase the chances that both sexes will be present.

Informally referred to as “deer candy” by those who grow this plant as an ornamental, deer seem to love to browse on the foliage of this shrub. Over time it will produce additional stems from the roots and can create a small thicket that provides shelter for wildlife. In fall, dangling warty strawberry-like fruits turn reddish purple and burst open, displaying bright orange seeds consumed by turkeys and other birds. Northern forms tend to be naturally deciduous, but this southeastern US coastal plain form offers the advantage of being fully evergreen into at least zone 8a, offering tasty forage for deer throughout the winter, though it may be deciduous in colder areas. Best as an understory shrub in dappled shade, it prospers in dry to moist woodland conditions and can tolerate short durations of flooding.

Not only do deer love Chinese chestnuts, but you will find them tasty as well. They can be eaten roasted, boiled, or sautéed. A prickly 2–3½" seed husk encloses 1-4 nuts and will yield a ripened nut crop from mid to late September all the way through October.