Not Verified — Winters This Mild
Not verified for winters this mild: autumn olive tree is listed for zones 2-7 — a growing recommendation, not a heat limit — and we hold no heat rating for it. Louisiana runs zones 8b-10b, milder than that range, so this page gives no verdict here. The frost window and season figures below are measured for Louisiana.
Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana — the short answer
Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana: listed for zones 2–7, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 2-7
- Rated hardy to zone 2a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-05).
- Louisiana zones
- 8b-10b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Jan 30 - Feb 17 – Nov 30 - Dec 8
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 265 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
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.
Louisiana spans zones 8b-10b, 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 autumn olive tree 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.
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Louisiana is not one climate
Louisiana’s winter-low ladder runs across 64 counties, from zone 8.5 in Bienville County to zone 10 in Plaquemines County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between autumn olive tree overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 64 counties runs 8.5–9 zones, with a median of 9 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 64 Louisiana 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 Autumn Olive Tree Stands in Louisiana
Autumn Olive Tree is rated for zones 2–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. No Louisiana county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Louisiana winters, not about autumn olive tree.
Above the zone 7 ceiling
64 counties
- Bienville County · zone 8b
- Bossier County · zone 8b
- Caddo County · zone 8b
3 of 64 shown
Warmer than the zone 7 end of its range.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Autumn Olive Tree Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-7
- Sun: Full Sun
- Drought tolerance: High
Louisiana Has
- USDA Zones: 8b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 30 - Feb 17
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 30 - Dec 8
- Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
- Common Soils: Alluvial clay, Muck, Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-7)
Preferred Soil pH
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 Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana
The frost window
Across Louisiana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 286-day window you can count on — up to 312 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.
Winter standing
Louisiana runs as cold as USDA zone 8, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for autumn olive tree, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether autumn olive tree is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Louisiana; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Claiborne 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.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Autumn Olive Tree likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-8.5). That's the common-ground band across Louisiana's alluvial clay and muck — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 7.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Louisiana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Louisiana site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. Drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 45.5% of Louisiana as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Autumn Olive Tree tolerates drought well, so wet feet — not dry spells — is its real risk here — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
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. Louisiana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Louisiana growers also need to think about:
Extreme humidity and rainfall promote rot and fungal diseases
Poor drainage in delta and coastal areas
Hurricane damage risk from June through November
Growing autumn olive tree here specifically
Autumn Olive Tree needs sharp drainage and sends medium roots; its growing tissue takes cold to about 30°F (FAO ECOCROP), but in Louisiana, about 45.5% of soils are poorly-drained (SSURGO), and standing water is what actually kills it.
Build autumn olive tree up on a coarse, free-draining mound so its crown never sit in saturated soil. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Louisiana grower, not just autumn olive tree — is covered on the Louisiana growing guide.
Timing shifts within Louisiana
Louisiana isn't one climate. In Claiborne County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Mar 2 — roughly 19 days later than the recorded state median — so plant autumn olive tree 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 Louisiana Autumn Olive Tree's Listed Zones Fall
Autumn Olive Tree is rated for USDA zones 2–7. Every Louisiana county sits above it. Even Bienville County, the state’s coldest at zone 8b, is milder than the plant’s zone 7 ceiling — the constraint here is winter chill it will not get, not cold it cannot take.
Across those 64 counties Louisiana’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 8b in Bienville County to zone 10a in Plaquemines 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 autumn olive tree needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Autumn Olive Tree’s zone 2–7 band: Rated hardy to zone 2a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-05).. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Autumn Olive Tree draws honeybees and native bees (moderate value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, autumn olive tree can only work that bloom inside Louisiana's frost window — roughly 298 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Jan 30 - Feb 17) and closing at the first (Nov 30 - Dec 8), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Louisiana Cooperative Extension
For Louisiana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for autumn olive tree, the canonical source is LSU AgCenter. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Autumn Olive Tree native to Louisiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Autumn Olive Tree as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Louisiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Louisiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Louisiana growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Louisiana and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana
When can I plant Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana?
Louisiana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Autumn Olive Tree, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Louisiana 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 Autumn Olive Tree grown in across Louisiana?
Louisiana spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Autumn Olive Tree is listed for zones 2-7, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Louisiana where this page can call outdoor growing reliable. A parcel report resolves your own address's zone.
How many frost-free days does a typical Louisiana site have?
A typical Louisiana site sees ~298 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Autumn Olive Tree needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Claiborne, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Autumn Olive Tree native to Louisiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Autumn Olive Tree as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Louisiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Louisiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Autumn Olive Tree in Louisiana?
Autumn Olive Tree prefers pH 6-8.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across Louisiana soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Autumn Olive Tree actually grow on my specific land in Louisiana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores autumn olive tree 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 Louisiana
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores autumn olive tree against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Louisiana autumn olive tree averages can't show:
We read public map data around Louisiana — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Louisiana autumn olive tree average
Explore More
Growing guides for autumn olive tree
Explore Louisiana county by county
Louisiana carries 64 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for autumn olive tree there:
Where else autumn olive tree grows
Autumn Olive Tree's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Louisiana 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 Louisiana
Louisiana has a growing page for 1,024 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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