Generally — Most Areas
buttonbush (zones 5-9) suits most of Alaska (1a-9a) — zones 5-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Alaska spans zones 1a-9a, 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 buttonbush against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Buttonbush Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-9
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 15 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Alaska Has
- USDA Zones: 1a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 16 - May 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 24 - Oct 29
- Annual Rainfall: 10-160 inches
- Common Soils: Permafrost, Glacial silt, Volcanic ash
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-9)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Buttonbush in Alaska
The frost window
Across Alaska, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 132-day window you can count on — up to 196 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
Alaska runs as cold as USDA zone 1, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for buttonbush, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether buttonbush is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Alaska; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. 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 buttonbush survives winter in part of Alaska, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Buttonbush wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical Alaska site sees ~147 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 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
Buttonbush likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Alaska's permafrost and glacial silt — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Alaska soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Alaska soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Buttonbush in Alaska — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 5-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 1a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 16 - May 15 to Sep 24 - Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Buttonbush in Alaska
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alaska growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (70-110 frost-free days)
Permafrost prevents deep root growth in many areas
Limited soil development in glacial terrain
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alaska grower, not just buttonbush — is covered on the Alaska growing guide.
Timing shifts within Alaska
Buttonbush needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 21 of Alaska’s 28 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Northwest Arctic County at 127 frost-free days — 7 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across Alaska’s 28 counties the frost-free season runs from 85 days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 days in Sitka County — a spread of 155 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Alaska county sees 147 frost-free days, leaving buttonbush about 27 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Buttonbush's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Buttonbush draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, buttonbush can only work that bloom inside Alaska's frost window — roughly 147 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 16 - May 15) and closing at the first (Sep 24 - Oct 29), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020.
Alaska Cooperative Extension
For Alaska-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for buttonbush, the canonical source is UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Buttonbush native to Alaska?
Buttonbush is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Alaska. It can still earn a place in a Alaska garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Alaska growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Buttonbush in Alaska
When can I plant Buttonbush in Alaska?
Alaska's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Buttonbush, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Alaska 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 Buttonbush grown in across Alaska?
Alaska spans USDA hardiness zones 1a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Buttonbush carries a range of zones 5-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Alaska site have?
A typical Alaska site sees ~147 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Buttonbush needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Buttonbush native to Alaska?
Buttonbush is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Alaska. It can still earn a place in a Alaska garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Buttonbush in Alaska?
Buttonbush prefers pH 5-7.5 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across Alaska soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Buttonbush actually grow on my specific land in Alaska?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores buttonbush against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Alaska
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores buttonbush against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Alaska buttonbush averages can't show:
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