Yes — Strong Match
anise hyssop (zones 4-8) covers every zone South Dakota contains (4a-5b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Anise Hyssop in South Dakota — the short answer
Anise Hyssop in South Dakota: hardy in zones 4–8, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 4-8
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- South Dakota zones
- 4a-5b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 22 - Apr 29 – Oct 9 - Oct 15
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 145 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 90 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
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.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
South Dakota spans zones 4a-5b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score anise hyssop against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
South Dakota is not one climate
South Dakota’s winter-low ladder runs across 66 counties, from zone 4 in Brown County to zone 5.5 in Custer County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between anise hyssop overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 66 counties runs 4.5–5 zones, with a median of 4.5 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 66 South Dakota counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in South Dakota Fits Best
Even within South Dakota's zones 4a-5b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for anise hyssop (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Anise Hyssop Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 4 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: MediumWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
South Dakota Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-5b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 22 - Apr 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 9 - Oct 15
- Annual Rainfall: 14-26 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Clay, Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
Preferred Soil pH
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 — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Anise Hyssop in South Dakota
The frost window
Across South Dakota, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 22 and Apr 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 9 and Oct 15 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 163-day window you can count on — up to 176 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when anise hyssop goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from South Dakota's late-side last freeze of Apr 29 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Winter standing
South Dakota runs as cold as USDA zone 4, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for anise hyssop, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether anise hyssop is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within South Dakota; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says anise hyssop survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Growing degree days
Anise Hyssop needs ~900 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~2356 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so South Dakota's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Anise Hyssop likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-7.5). That's the common-ground band across South Dakota's prairie loam and clay — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a South Dakota soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your South Dakota site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. South Dakota soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant anise hyssop for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before anise hyssop goes in. What follows is South Dakota’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across South Dakota — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across South Dakota — 4,290 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 45 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
South Dakota carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across South Dakota
Severity Distribution
across South Dakota
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around South Dakota, Brownfields runs higher than the national average — 419 sites across South Dakota. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
Brownfields: Brownfield sites are former commercial or industrial properties that EPA’s Brownfields program (ACRES) has assessed or funded cleanup on.
Contact the EPA Brownfields program or the state cleanup agency for this site’s actual assessment/remediation status — ACRES itself does not publish one we can read per site.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Anise Hyssop in South Dakota
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but South Dakota growers also need to think about:
Extreme cold and short growing season
Low rainfall in western SD
Wind exposure on the open prairie
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every South Dakota grower, not just anise hyssop — is covered on the South Dakota growing guide.
Where in South Dakota Anise Hyssop Is Zone-Hardy
Anise Hyssop is rated for USDA zones 4–8. Every one of South Dakota’s 66 counties sits inside that band — from Brown County at zone 4a to Custer County at zone 5b — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 66 counties South Dakota’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4a in Brown County to zone 5b in Custer County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Lawrence County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 12, while Bon Homme County is clear by Apr 18 — 24 days apart. Set anise hyssop out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Anise Hyssop’s zone 4–8 band: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Anise Hyssop draws honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds (high value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, anise hyssop can only work that bloom inside South Dakota's frost window — roughly 168 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 22 - Apr 29) and closing at the first (Oct 9 - Oct 15), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
South Dakota Cooperative Extension
For South Dakota-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for anise hyssop, the canonical source is SDSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Anise Hyssop native to South Dakota?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Anise Hyssop as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in South Dakota, but it does not say whether those South Dakota plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Anise Hyssop in South Dakota
When can I plant Anise Hyssop in South Dakota?
South Dakota's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 22 and Apr 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 9 and Oct 15 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Anise Hyssop, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in South Dakota and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Anise Hyssop grown in across South Dakota?
South Dakota spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-5b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Anise Hyssop carries a range of zones 4-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical South Dakota site have?
A typical South Dakota site sees ~168 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Anise Hyssop needs 100+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Anise Hyssop native to South Dakota?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Anise Hyssop as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in South Dakota, but it does not say whether those South Dakota plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
How should I amend the soil for Anise Hyssop in South Dakota?
Anise Hyssop prefers pH 6-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across South Dakota soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Anise Hyssop actually grow on my specific land in South Dakota?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores anise hyssop against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in South Dakota
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores anise hyssop against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that South Dakota anise hyssop averages can't show:
We read public map data around South Dakota — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the South Dakota anise hyssop average
Explore More
Growing guides for anise hyssop
Explore South Dakota county by county
South Dakota carries 66 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for anise hyssop there:
Where else anise hyssop grows
Anise Hyssop's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to South Dakota in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in South Dakota
South Dakota has a growing page for 753 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Last updated: