Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
brittlebush (zones 10-13) does not overlap with District of Columbia's zone range (7b-8a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Brittlebush is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in District Of Columbia is zone 8 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a District Of Columbia winter. To grow it here, grow brittlebush in an earth-sheltered greenhouse — its modeled 2.5-zone lift covers this gap.
An earth-sheltered greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 10-13 (plant) against 7-8 (District of Columbia). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Brittlebush in District of Columbia — the short answer
Brittlebush in District of Columbia: hardy in zones 10–13, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 10-13
- Hardy to zone 10: USDA PLANTS Database lists 27 °F, converted to zone 10a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
- District of Columbia zones
- 7b-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 15 – Nov 24
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Typical season
- ~254 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020
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.
District of Columbia spans zones 7b-8a, 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 brittlebush 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.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Where Brittlebush Stands in District of Columbia
Brittlebush is rated for zones 10–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. No District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia winters, not about brittlebush.
Below the zone 10 floor
1 county
- District of Columbia County · zone 8a
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
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
Brittlebush Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-13
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 4 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: High
District of Columbia Has
- USDA Zones: 7b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 24
- Annual Rainfall: 39-43 inches
- Common Soils: Urban fill, Silt loam, Clay loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 10-13)
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 Brittlebush in District of Columbia
The frost window
Across District of Columbia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 15 and Mar 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Nov 24 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 254-day window you can count on — up to 254 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
District of Columbia runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for brittlebush, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether brittlebush is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within District of Columbia; 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 brittlebush does not survive a District of Columbia winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on District of Columbia under protection.
Chill hours
Brittlebush has no winter-chill requirement — its listed minimum is 0 hours (Growable Ground Plant Database). District of Columbia typically banks ~2452 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so chill is not a constraint on this plant here — and not evidence in its favour either. Winter survival and season length are what decide it.
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
Brittlebush likes near-neutral soil (pH 7-8.5). That's the common-ground band across District of Columbia's urban fill and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site.
Your land, not the state average
District Of Columbia soil pH runs about 4.6–5.8, and that sits below brittlebush's tolerated 7–8.5, so the typical District Of Columbia parcel needs lime before it will perform. SSURGO maps it swinging by full points parcel to parcel, so your map unit, not the state number, decides whether brittlebush needs lime or sulfur.
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. District of Columbia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Brittlebush in District of Columbia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but District of Columbia growers also need to think about:
Dense urban siting means small lots, compacted fill soils, and limited sun
Summer heat and humidity promote fungal diseases
The urban heat-island effect pushes summer temperatures above surrounding suburbs
Growing brittlebush here specifically
Brittlebush wants soil pH 7.0–8.5, but District Of Columbia's soils run acidic (SSURGO maps a dominant pH near 5.2) — below its range, nutrients lock up and growth stalls.
Test your soil and lime to raise pH into brittlebush's 7.0–8.5 range before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every District of Columbia grower, not just brittlebush — is covered on the District of Columbia growing guide.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Brittlebush draws pollinators. Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, brittlebush can only work that bloom inside District of Columbia's frost window — roughly 254 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 15) and closing at the first (Nov 24), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
District of Columbia Cooperative Extension
For District of Columbia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for brittlebush, the canonical source is UDC Center for Urban Agriculture. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Brittlebush native to District of Columbia?
Brittlebush is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in District of Columbia. It can still earn a place in a District of Columbia garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The District of Columbia growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in District of Columbia 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 Brittlebush in District of Columbia
When can I plant Brittlebush in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 15 and Mar 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Nov 24 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Brittlebush, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in District of Columbia 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 Brittlebush grown in across District of Columbia?
District of Columbia spans USDA hardiness zones 7b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Brittlebush is listed for zones 10-13, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia site have?
A typical District of Columbia site sees ~254 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Brittlebush needs 365+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Brittlebush native to District of Columbia?
Brittlebush is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in District of Columbia. It can still earn a place in a District of Columbia garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Brittlebush in District of Columbia?
Brittlebush prefers pH 7-8.5 (USDA NRCS PLANTS Database). That sits in the common-ground band across District of Columbia soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Brittlebush actually grow on my specific land in District of Columbia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores brittlebush 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 District of Columbia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores brittlebush against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that District of Columbia brittlebush averages can't show:
We read public map data around District of Columbia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the District of Columbia brittlebush average
Explore More
Growing guides for brittlebush
Explore District of Columbia county by county
District of Columbia carries 1 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for brittlebush there:
Where else brittlebush grows
Brittlebush's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia
District of Columbia has a growing page for 1,010 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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