Q:
My dad's favorite landscape feature was his prized Japanese umbrella pine. I want to carry on the tradition for sentimental (and beauty!) reasons, and include one in my landscape. Because deer traverse my yard daily, and on their way devour any and everything palatable to them, I am hesitant to invest in the tree if its survival will be an ongoing struggle. I haven't found any information about deer-resistance characteristics of Japanese umbrella pine. Can you help?
A: First, that IS an excellent conifer and also one of my favorites.
It's not a favorite on the deer menu, though, so I think your chances of growing one are good – although it's true that deer might eat anything if they're hungry enough.
Japanese umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) isn't listed either way on one of the best deer-resistant plant lists (one done by Rutgers University), but it is listed as deer-resistant on another very good resource from the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, N.Y.
I've also seen it mentioned as an unlikely deer-food species in several online forums and blogs.
I think it's worth the slim risk, and if you have any doubts, surround it with a wire cage for the first year or two.