Bluebeard is a perennial grown for its blue blooms, which open from summer through fall and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Bluebeard — the short answer
Bluebeard: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, pH 5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- 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
- Soil pH
- 5–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Full Sun
- 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 Bluebeard on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether bluebeard actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score bluebeard against your land's real conditions.
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What Bluebeard is
Bluebeard grows as a perennial and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms blue from summer through fall. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Bluebeard
Bluebeard grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Bluebeard does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 120 frost-free days and about 200 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
200+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
120+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant bluebeard in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Bluebeard prefers pH 5 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). 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. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut bluebeard blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Bluebeard thrives
Bluebeard is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. 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 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Bluebeard 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 Bluebeard stands, state by state
Bluebeard is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Bluebeard’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
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 Bluebeard
Growing guides for bluebeard
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — bluebeard isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Bluebeard is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Your land is one point inside Bluebeard'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 Bluebeard will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether bluebeard 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 Bluebeard
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•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Bluebeard in my zone?
Bluebeard grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Bluebeard?
Most growers plant bluebeard after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 120-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Bluebeard need?
Bluebeard needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Bluebeard need?
Bluebeard prefers soil pH 5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Bluebeard attract pollinators?
Yes — bluebeard's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Bluebeard safe for pets?
Bluebeard is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Bluebeard
Bluebeard state by state
Every state bluebeard's zone reaches — 20 link straight to that state's bluebeard growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.