Barbados flowerfence (Parkinsonia aculeata), photographi

Can I Grow Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina?

USDA Zones 7a-9b · Plant zone range 8-11

Generally — Most Areas

Barbados flowerfence (zones 8-11) suits most of South Carolina (7a-9b) — zones 8-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.

Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina — the short answer

Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina: hardy in zones 8–11, full sun, against a state median of ~265 frost-free days.

Plant zones
8-11
Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
South Carolina zones
7a-9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Feb 27 - Mar 12 – Nov 23 - Dec 1
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
237 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.

Score your parcel · free

Your yard isn't the whole zone.

South Carolina spans zones 7a-9b, 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 barbados flowerfence 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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South Carolina is not one climate

South Carolina’s winter-low ladder runs across 46 counties, from zone 8 in Abbeville County to zone 9 in Jasper County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between barbados flowerfence overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.

8 zonesAbbeville County9 zonesJasper County

The middle half of 46 counties runs 88.5 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.

Measured across 46 South Carolina 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 Carolina Fits Best

Even within South Carolina's zones 7a-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for barbados flowerfence (USDA PHZM 2023):

Zone Comparison

Barbados Flowerfence Needs

  • USDA Zones: 8-11
  • Frost-Free Days: 120+
  • Sun: Full Sun

South Carolina Has

  • USDA Zones: 7a-9b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 27 - Mar 12
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 23 - Dec 1
  • Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
  • Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal), Alluvial

Plant Zone Range (zones 8-11)

8a
11b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 6.08.5

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 Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina

The frost window

Across South Carolina, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 27 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 23 and Dec 1 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 256-day window you can count on — up to 277 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

South Carolina runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for barbados flowerfence, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether barbados flowerfence is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within South Carolina; 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 barbados flowerfence survives winter in part of South Carolina, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.

Frost-free days

Barbados Flowerfence wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical South Carolina site sees ~265 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.

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

Barbados Flowerfence likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-8.5). That's the common-ground band across South Carolina's red clay (piedmont) and sandy loam (coastal) — 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 South Carolina soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry). If your South Carolina site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

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 Carolina soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Before you plant barbados flowerfence 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 barbados flowerfence goes in. What follows is South Carolina’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 Carolina — and how to grow with it.

Federal record: High

We checked the federal record across South Carolina24,910 documented sites across 7 of the 9 source types we track.

The most significant on record: 256 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.

South Carolina 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 with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.

Know before you grow — the guide

Sources Checked

across South Carolina

Severity Distribution

across South Carolina

High148Moderate7,159Low17,603

Highest-Severity Sites

PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Superfund · Superfund NPL
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around South Carolina, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 1,600 sites across South Carolina. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

grow under coverread your soil before you plant

Sources: EPA, USGS1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.

What Else to Consider for Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina

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

Red Piedmont clay requires amendment for drainage

High heat and humidity promote diseases

Hurricane risk along the coast

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every South Carolina grower, not just barbados flowerfence — is covered on the South Carolina growing guide.

Timing shifts within South Carolina

Barbados Flowerfence needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Chester County — South Carolina’s shortest season at 237 frost-free days — clears that by 117 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in South Carolina. What varies is your own parcel.

Across South Carolina’s 46 counties the frost-free season runs from 237 days in Chester County to 320 days in Charleston County — a spread of 83 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median South Carolina county sees 265 frost-free days, leaving barbados flowerfence about 145 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.

County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Barbados Flowerfence's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Barbados Flowerfence draws honeybees and native bees (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, barbados flowerfence can only work that bloom inside South Carolina's frost window — roughly 265 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 27 - Mar 12) and closing at the first (Nov 23 - Dec 1), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

South Carolina Cooperative Extension

For South Carolina-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for barbados flowerfence, the canonical source is Clemson Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Barbados Flowerfence native to South Carolina?

Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Barbados Flowerfence as native to South Carolina. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.

Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.

Common Questions About Growing Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina

When can I plant Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina?

South Carolina's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 27 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 23 and Dec 1 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Barbados Flowerfence, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in South Carolina 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 Barbados Flowerfence grown in across South Carolina?

South Carolina spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Barbados Flowerfence carries a range of zones 8-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical South Carolina site have?

A typical South Carolina site sees ~265 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Barbados Flowerfence needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.

Is Barbados Flowerfence native to South Carolina?

Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Barbados Flowerfence as native to South Carolina. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.

How should I amend the soil for Barbados Flowerfence in South Carolina?

Barbados Flowerfence prefers pH 6-8.5 and well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across South Carolina soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.

Will Barbados Flowerfence actually grow on my specific land in South Carolina?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores barbados flowerfence against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in South Carolina

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores barbados flowerfence against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that South Carolina barbados flowerfence averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — South Carolina averages 265Your sun & shade

We read public map data around South Carolina — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the South Carolina barbados flowerfence average

Explore More

Explore South Carolina county by county

South Carolina carries 46 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for barbados flowerfence there:

Where else barbados flowerfence grows

Barbados Flowerfence's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to South Carolina 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 Carolina

South Carolina has a growing page for 1,034 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.

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