Can I Grow Anemone in Minnesota?

Anemone in Minnesota — the short answer

Minnesota is not one climate

Where Anemone Stands in Minnesota

Zone Comparison

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Anemone in Minnesota

Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Lake County, not the statewide average.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.

What Else to Consider for Anemone in Minnesota

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Minnesota growers also need to think about:

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Minnesota grower, not just anemone — is covered on the Minnesota growing guide.

Timing shifts within Minnesota

Minnesota isn't one climate. In Lake County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 14 — roughly 23 days later than the recorded state median — so plant anemone to your county's window, not the statewide date.

County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.

Where in Minnesota Anemone Is Zone-Hardy

Anemone is rated for USDA zones 7–10. No Minnesota county reaches it. Even Watonwan County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 5a, sits below the plant’s zone 7 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.

Across those 87 counties Minnesota’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3b in Beltrami County to zone 5a in Watonwan County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band anemone needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.

County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Anemone’s zone 7–10 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Anemone draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, anemone can only work that bloom inside Minnesota's frost window — roughly 174 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 19 - Apr 30) and closing at the first (Oct 10 - Oct 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Good to Know Before You Plant Anemone

Recommended Anemone Varieties for Minnesota

Minnesota publishes no state variety trial for anemone, so we won't invent a "best for Minnesota" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (3a-5a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.

Minnesota Cooperative Extension

For Minnesota-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for anemone, the canonical source is University of Minnesota Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Common Questions About Growing Anemone in Minnesota