Generally — Most Areas
buttonbush (zones 5-9) suits most of Maine (3b-7a) — zones 5-7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Buttonbush in Maine — the short answer
Buttonbush in Maine: hardy in zones 5–9, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 5-9
- Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
- Maine zones
- 3b-7a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 16 - May 3 – Oct 10 - Oct 24
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 143 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.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Maine spans zones 3b-7a, 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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Maine is not one climate
Maine’s winter-low ladder runs across 16 counties, from zone 4 in Aroostook County to zone 6 in Lincoln County. That is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between buttonbush overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 16 counties runs 4.5–5.5 zones, with a median of 5.5 zones — a 2-zone span end to end.
Measured across 16 Maine 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 Maine Fits Best
Buttonbush is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Against Maine’s 16 counties that band holds in 12 of them, and the line runs at Oxford County (zone 5a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 5–9
12 counties
- Penobscot County · zone 5a
- Androscoggin County · zone 5b
- Cumberland County · zone 5b
3 of 12 shown
Below the zone 5 floor
4 counties
- Aroostook County · zone 4a
- Franklin County · zone 4b
- Piscataquis County · zone 4b
3 of 4 shown
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.
Even within Maine's zones 3b-7a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for buttonbush (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Buttonbush Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-9
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 15 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Maine Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-7a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 16 - May 3
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 10 - Oct 24
- Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Rocky loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-9)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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 Buttonbush in Maine
The frost window
Across Maine, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 10 and Oct 24 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 160-day window you can count on — up to 191 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
Maine runs as cold as USDA zone 3, 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 Maine; 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
Buttonbush tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.7-8.6) — 3.9 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Maine. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Maine 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. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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. Maine soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Buttonbush in Maine
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Maine growers also need to think about:
Very short growing season (100-140 frost-free days)
Rocky glacial soils require significant clearing
Harsh winters with heavy snow and ice
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Maine grower, not just buttonbush — is covered on the Maine growing guide.
Where in Maine Buttonbush Is Zone-Hardy
Buttonbush is rated for USDA zones 5–9. 12 of Maine’s 16 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Oxford County at zone 5a. 4 counties sit below the plant’s zone 5 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in Maine decides this one.
Across those 16 counties Maine’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4a in Aroostook County to zone 6a in Lincoln County — 2 USDA zones of spread, which is 20°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. Piscataquis County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 15, while Knox County is clear by Apr 4 — 41 days apart. Set buttonbush 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". Buttonbush’s zone 5–9 band: Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Buttonbush draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (high value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, buttonbush can only work that bloom inside Maine's frost window — roughly 182 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 16 - May 3) and closing at the first (Oct 10 - Oct 24), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Maine Cooperative Extension
For Maine-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for buttonbush, the canonical source is UMaine Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Buttonbush native to Maine?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) records Buttonbush in Maine, and Kew's Plants of the World Online (WCVP) lists Maine in its native range. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Native-range status: Kew, Plants of the World Online — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), release 2026-06-04, licensed CC BY 3.0. powo.science.kew.org
Common Questions About Growing Buttonbush in Maine
When can I plant Buttonbush in Maine?
Maine's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 10 and Oct 24 (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 Maine 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 Maine?
Maine spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-7a (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 Maine site have?
A typical Maine site sees ~182 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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 Maine?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) records Buttonbush in Maine, and Kew's Plants of the World Online (WCVP) lists Maine in its native range. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Buttonbush in Maine?
Buttonbush tolerates pH 4.7-8.6 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That is a 3.9-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Maine site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Buttonbush actually grow on my specific land in Maine?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores buttonbush 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 Maine
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores buttonbush against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Maine buttonbush averages can't show:
We read public map data around Maine — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Maine buttonbush average
Explore More
Growing guides for buttonbush
Explore Maine county by county
Maine carries 16 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for buttonbush there:
Where else buttonbush grows
Buttonbush's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Maine 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 Maine
Maine has a growing page for 807 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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