Bunchberry is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 6, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its late spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Bunchberry — the short answer
Bunchberry: grown in zones 2–6, shade, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 2–6
- 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
- 5.5–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- 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 Bunchberry on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether bunchberry actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score bunchberry against your land's real conditions.
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See Bunchberry
What Bunchberry is
Bunchberry grows as a perennial and reaches around 8 inches at maturity. It blooms white in late spring. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Bunchberry
Bunchberry grows in USDA zones 2 through 6. Bunchberry does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 60 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-6
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
0.7 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
60+
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 bunchberry in shade with at least 2 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Bunchberry prefers pH 5.5 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.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut bunchberry down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Where Bunchberry thrives
Bunchberry is hardy across USDA zones 2 through 6. 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 2–6 spans average winter lows from -50°F to 0°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 10 outright and splits 32 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 2–6·Where Bunchberry growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
Where Bunchberry stands, state by state
Bunchberry is rated for zones 2–6 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 10 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 32 more, and 9 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 2–6
10 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- Montana · zones 3a-6b
- New Hampshire · zones 3b-6b
3 of 10 shown
The line runs through
32 states
3 of 32 shown
Bunchberry’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 2–6
9 states
- Alabama · zones 7b-9b
- Delaware · zones 7a-8a
- District of Columbia · zones 7b-8a
3 of 9 shown
Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it. 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 Bunchberry
Growing guides for bunchberry
Related plants in grass/groundcover
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — bunchberry isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Bunchberry offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Bunchberry'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 Bunchberry will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether bunchberry 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.
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How we know this about Bunchberry
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 Bunchberry in my zone?
Bunchberry grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 6 (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 Bunchberry?
Bunchberry is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Bunchberry need?
Bunchberry 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 Bunchberry need?
Bunchberry prefers soil pH 5.5 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 Bunchberry attract pollinators?
Yes — bunchberry's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Bunchberry safe for pets?
Bunchberry is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)