bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), photographi

Can I Grow Bloodroot in Arkansas?

USDA Zones 6b-8b · Plant zone range 3-8

Yes — Strong Match

bloodroot (zones 3-8) covers every zone Arkansas contains (6b-8b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.

Bloodroot in Arkansas — the short answer

Bloodroot in Arkansas: hardy in zones 3–8, shade, against a state median of ~254 frost-free days.

Plant zones
3-8
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
Arkansas zones
6b-8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Mar 2 - Mar 20 – Nov 15 - Nov 23
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
226 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.

Arkansas spans zones 6b-8b, 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 bloodroot 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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Arkansas is not one climate

Arkansas’s winter-low ladder runs across 75 counties, from zone 7 in Benton County to zone 8.5 in Union County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between bloodroot overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.

7 zonesBenton County8.5 zonesUnion County

The middle half of 75 counties runs 7.58 zones, with a median of 8 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.

Measured across 75 Arkansas 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 Arkansas Fits Best

Bloodroot is rated for zones 38 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Against Arkansas’s 75 counties that band holds in 62 of them, and the line runs at Benton County (zone 7a), the coldest county still inside it.

Inside zones 3–8

62 counties

3 of 62 shown

Above the zone 8 ceiling

13 counties

3 of 13 shown

Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it.

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.

Even within Arkansas's zones 6b-8b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for bloodroot (USDA PHZM 2023):

Zone Comparison

Bloodroot Needs

  • USDA Zones: 3-8
  • Sun: Shade
  • Mature size: 10 in tall
  • Picking window: ~14 days of harvest
  • Drought tolerance: Low

Arkansas Has

  • USDA Zones: 6b-8b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 2 - Mar 20
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 15 - Nov 23
  • Annual Rainfall: 44-56 inches
  • Common Soils: Silt loam, Sandy loam, Red clay

Plant Zone Range (zones 3-8)

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

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 5.57.2

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 Bloodroot in Arkansas

The frost window

Across Arkansas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 2 and Mar 20, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 15 and Nov 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 240-day window you can count on — up to 266 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

Arkansas runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for bloodroot, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether bloodroot is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Arkansas; 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.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Bloodroot likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.2). That's the common-ground band across Arkansas's silt loam and sandy loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Arkansas soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Arkansas 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. Arkansas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

What Else to Consider for Bloodroot in Arkansas

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

Hot, humid summers drive fungal and bacterial diseases

Heavy clay soils in parts of the Ozarks

Severe spring storms and hail risk

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Arkansas grower, not just bloodroot — is covered on the Arkansas growing guide.

Where in Arkansas Bloodroot Is Zone-Hardy

Bloodroot is rated for USDA zones 38. 62 of Arkansas’s 75 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Benton County at zone 7a. 13 counties sit above its zone 8 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Arkansas decides this one.

Across those 75 counties Arkansas’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 7a in Benton County to zone 8b in Union 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. Carroll County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Mar 26, while Chicot County is clear by Feb 19 35 days apart. Set bloodroot 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". Bloodroot’s zone 38 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Bloodroot draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, bloodroot can only work that bloom inside Arkansas's frost window — roughly 254 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 2 - Mar 20) and closing at the first (Nov 15 - Nov 23), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Arkansas Cooperative Extension

For Arkansas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for bloodroot, the canonical source is University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Bloodroot native to Arkansas?

Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Bloodroot as native to Arkansas. 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 Bloodroot in Arkansas

When can I plant Bloodroot in Arkansas?

Arkansas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 2 and Mar 20, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 15 and Nov 23 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Bloodroot, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Arkansas 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 Bloodroot grown in across Arkansas?

Arkansas spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Bloodroot carries a range of zones 3-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

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

A typical Arkansas site sees ~254 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Bloodroot 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.

Is Bloodroot native to Arkansas?

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

How should I amend the soil for Bloodroot in Arkansas?

Bloodroot prefers pH 5.5-7.2 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across Arkansas soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.

Will Bloodroot actually grow on my specific land in Arkansas?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores bloodroot 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 Arkansas

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

Three things about your lot that Arkansas bloodroot averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Arkansas averages 254Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Arkansas bloodroot average

Explore More

Explore Arkansas county by county

Arkansas carries 75 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for bloodroot there:

Where else bloodroot grows

Bloodroot's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Arkansas has a growing page for 1,020 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.

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