Alder is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 12 and shrugs off deer. A nitrogen-fixer, it draws nitrogen from the air and feeds it back to the soil — turn it under or leave the roots in place, and the next planting inherits a richer bed.
Alder — the short answer
Alder: grown in zones 4–12, part sun, pH 4.4–7.2.
- USDA zones
- 4–12
- Hardy to zone 4a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 4.4–7.2
- USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
- Sun
- Part Sun
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Alder on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether alder actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score alder against your land's real conditions.
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See Alder
What Alder is
Alder grows as a perennial and reaches around 50 feet at maturity. It blooms purple in mid spring. It's also deer-resistant.
Mature height: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Alder
Alder grows in USDA zones 4 through 12. Alder does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.4 to 7.2, on consistently moist ground.
USDA Zones
4-12
Rated hardy to zone 4a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
Soil pH
4.4 - 7.2
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
Sun
Part Sun
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year)
FAO ECOCROP
Cold Hardiness
-18°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database
Mature Height
50 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant it right
Set alder in part sun with consistently moist soil. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Match the soil
Alder prefers pH 4.4 to 7.2 (USDA NRCS PLANTS Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip the high-nitrogen feed and instead dust the seed with a matching rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Shape it while it is young
Prune alder only to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches while it is young; it is grown for its form, not a harvest, so little more is needed once it settles in.
Where Alder thrives
On hardiness alone, alder grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 4 through 12) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 4–12 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 40 outright and splits 11 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–12·Where Alder growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Alder stands, state by state
Alder is rated for zones 4–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 40 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 11 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–12
40 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Iowa · zones 4b-6a
- Michigan · zones 4a-7a
3 of 40 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Alder
Good to know
Alder isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Your land is one point inside Alder's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Alder will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether alder actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Alder
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Alder in my zone?
Alder grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 12 (Rated hardy to zone 4a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Alder?
Set alder out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Alder need?
Alder does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Alder need?
Alder prefers soil pH 4.4 to 7.2, on consistently moist ground (USDA NRCS PLANTS Database). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Alder attract pollinators?
Alder isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Keep exploring Alder
Alder state by state
Every state alder's zone reaches — 20 link straight to that state's alder growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.