Conditional — Some Areas
autumn fern (zones 6-8) reaches only part of Wyoming (3b-6a): zone 6 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Wyoming spans zones 3b-6a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score autumn fern against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
Zone Comparison
Autumn Fern Needs
- USDA Zones: 6-8
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 2 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Wyoming Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-6a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): May 4 - May 13
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 30 - Oct 7
- Annual Rainfall: 6-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Clay, Alkaline
Plant Zone Range (zones 6-8)
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Autumn Fern in Wyoming
The frost window
Across Wyoming, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 4 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 30 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 140-day window you can count on — up to 156 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.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Wyoming soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Autumn Fern in Wyoming — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 6-8 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about May 4 - May 13 to Sep 30 - Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Autumn Fern in Wyoming
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Wyoming growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (60-90 frost-free days)
Very low rainfall requires irrigation
Persistent high winds desiccate and damage plants
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Wyoming grower, not just autumn fern — is covered on the Wyoming growing guide.
Where in Wyoming Autumn Fern Is Zone-Hardy
Autumn Fern is rated for USDA zones 6–8. No Wyoming county reaches it. Even Uinta County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 5b, sits below the plant’s zone 6 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 23 counties Wyoming’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Albany County to zone 5b in Uinta County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band autumn fern needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Autumn Fern’s zone 6–8 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Wyoming Cooperative Extension
For Wyoming-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for autumn fern, the canonical source is University of Wyoming Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Autumn Fern in Wyoming
When can I plant Autumn Fern in Wyoming?
Wyoming's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 4 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 30 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
What hardiness zone is Autumn Fern grown in across Wyoming?
Wyoming spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Autumn Fern carries a range of zones 6-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Wyoming site have?
A typical Wyoming site sees ~151 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Autumn Fern should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Will Autumn Fern actually grow on my specific land in Wyoming?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores autumn fern against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Wyoming
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores autumn fern against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Wyoming autumn fern averages can't show:
We read public map data around Wyoming — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Wyoming autumn fern average
Explore More
Growing guides for autumn fern
Last updated: