Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
caladium (zones 9-11) does not overlap with Missouri's zone range (5b-8a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Caladium is hardy to zone 9, and the warmest ground in Missouri is zone 7 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Missouri winter. To grow it here, grow caladium 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 9-11 (plant) against 5-7 (Missouri). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Caladium in Missouri — the short answer
Caladium in Missouri: hardy in zones 9–11, full sun, against a state median of ~219 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 9-11
- 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
- Missouri zones
- 5b-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 2 – Oct 31 - Nov 7
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 192 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.
Missouri spans zones 5b-8a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score caladium against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Missouri is not one climate
A single Missouri answer averages 115 counties whose growing seasons are 66 days apart — from 192 frost-free days in Crawford County to 258 in Pemiscot County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what caladium can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 115 counties runs 211–225 days, with a median of 219 days — a 66-day span end to end.
Measured across 115 Missouri counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. 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 Caladium Stands in Missouri
Caladium is rated for zones 9–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. No Missouri 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 Missouri winters, not about caladium.
Below the zone 9 floor
115 counties
- Atchison County · zone 5b
- Harrison County · zone 5b
- Nodaway County · zone 5b
3 of 115 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.
Zone Comparison
Caladium Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-11
- Frost-Free Days: 180+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 2 ft tall
- Picking window: ~90 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Missouri Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 31 - Nov 7
- Annual Rainfall: 34-50 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Loess
Plant Zone Range (zones 9-11)
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 Caladium in Missouri
The frost window
Across Missouri, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 31 and Nov 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 212-day window you can count on — up to 225 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.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Crawford County, not the statewide average.
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 caladium does not survive a Missouri 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 Missouri under protection.
Frost-free days
Caladium wants 180+ frost-free days; a typical Missouri site sees ~219 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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, 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
Caladium tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.3-8.2) — 3.9 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Missouri. 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 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Missouri soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells). If your Missouri site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 31.8% of Missouri as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Caladium has low drought tolerance, so it is the fast-draining end that will cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
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. Missouri soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Caladium in Missouri
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Missouri growers also need to think about:
Highly variable weather with late frosts and early heat
Heavy clay soils in many regions
Ozark soils are thin and rocky
Growing caladium here specifically
Caladium roots run medium and prefer pH 4.3–8.2, but drainage comes first here: SSURGO maps about 31.8% of Missouri as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and wet ground rots its roots before pH ever matters.
Plant caladium on a raised, gravel-amended berm so water drains fast and the roots stays dry. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Missouri grower, not just caladium — is covered on the Missouri growing guide.
Timing shifts within Missouri
Missouri isn't one climate. In Crawford County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 10 — roughly 12 days later than the recorded state median — so plant caladium to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Caladium needs about 180 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Crawford County — Missouri’s shortest season at 192 frost-free days — clears that by 12 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Missouri. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Missouri’s 115 counties the frost-free season runs from 192 days in Crawford County to 258 days in Pemiscot County — a spread of 66 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Missouri county sees 219 frost-free days, leaving caladium about 39 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"). Caladium's 180-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Good to Know Before You Plant Caladium
Caladium is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (all) at a moderate level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear. Worth knowing for placement: in Missouri this is a one-season plant and the first hard freeze (Oct 31 - Nov 7) takes it down, so the exposure above is a summer-long one rather than something standing in the bed all year.
Recommended Caladium Varieties for Missouri
Missouri publishes no state variety trial for caladium, so we won't invent a "best for Missouri" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (5b-8a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Missouri Cooperative Extension
For Missouri-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for caladium, the canonical source is MU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Caladium in Missouri
When can I plant Caladium in Missouri?
Missouri's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 31 and Nov 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
What hardiness zone is Caladium grown in across Missouri?
Missouri spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Caladium carries a range of zones 9-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Missouri site have?
A typical Missouri site sees ~219 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Caladium needs 180+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Crawford, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Caladium in Missouri?
Caladium tolerates pH 4.3-8.2 and poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.9-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Missouri site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Caladium actually grow on my specific land in Missouri?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores caladium 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 Missouri
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores caladium against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Missouri caladium averages can't show:
We read public map data around Missouri — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Missouri caladium average
Explore More
Growing guides for caladium
Explore Missouri county by county
Missouri carries 115 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for caladium there:
Where else caladium grows
Caladium's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Missouri 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 Missouri
Missouri has a growing page for 893 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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