Black Gum is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 12. Its late spring flowers are a real draw for honeybees and native bees.
Black Gum — the short answer
Black Gum: grown in zones 4–12, shade, pH 4.5–6.
- USDA zones
- 4–12
- Hardy to zone 4a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 4.5–6
- USDA PLANTS
- Sun
- Shade
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Black Gum on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether black gum actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score black gum against your land's real conditions.
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What Black Gum is
Black Gum grows as a perennial and reaches around 50 feet at maturity. It blooms green in late spring.
How to grow Black Gum
Black Gum grows in USDA zones 4 through 12. Black Gum does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 6.
USDA Zones
4-12
Rated hardy to zone 4a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
Soil pH
4.5 - 6
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Cold Hardiness
-18°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
50 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set black gum in shade with well-drained soil.
Match the soil
Black Gum prefers pH 4.5 to 6 (USDA PLANTS). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Shape it while it is young
Prune black gum only to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches while it is young; it is grown for its form, not a harvest, so little more is needed once it settles in.
Where Black Gum thrives
On hardiness alone, black gum grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 4 through 12) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 4–12 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 40 outright and splits 11 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–12·Where Black Gum growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Black Gum stands, state by state
Black Gum is rated for zones 4–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 40 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 11 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–12
40 states
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Iowa · zones 4b-6a
- Michigan · zones 4a-7a
3 of 40 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Black Gum
Growing guides for black gum
Good to know
Black Gum is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Black Gum's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Black Gum will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether black gum actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Black Gum
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Black Gum in my zone?
Black Gum grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 12 (Rated hardy to zone 4a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Black Gum?
Set black gum out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Black Gum need?
Black Gum is shade-tolerant — it gets by on as little as 2 hours of direct sun, so it earns a place most vegetables can't use. A north-facing strip or the ground under a leafy canopy is right where it belongs. A Growable Ground report shows which corners of your land stay shaded through the day, turning those dim spots into planting spots.
What soil does Black Gum need?
Black Gum prefers soil pH 4.5 to 6 (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Black Gum attract pollinators?
Yes — black gum's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees and native bees.
Keep exploring Black Gum
Black Gum state by state
Every state black gum's zone reaches — 10 link straight to that state's black gum growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.