Conditional — Some Areas
calamintha (zones 5-7) reaches only part of Georgia (7a-9b): zone 7 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Calamintha in Georgia — the short answer
Calamintha in Georgia: hardy in zones 5–7, full sun, against a state median of ~275 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 5-7
- 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
- Georgia zones
- 7a-9b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 17 - Mar 10 – Nov 24 - Dec 4
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 204 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.
Georgia spans zones 7a-9b, 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 calamintha 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.
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Georgia is not one climate
Georgia’s winter-low ladder runs across 159 counties, from zone 7.5 in Fannin County to zone 9 in Worth County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between calamintha overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 159 counties runs 8–9 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 159 Georgia 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 Calamintha Stands in Georgia
Calamintha is rated for zones 5–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. No Georgia 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 Georgia winters, not about calamintha.
Above the zone 7 ceiling
159 counties
- Fannin County · zone 7b
- Gilmer County · zone 7b
- Rabun County · zone 7b
3 of 159 shown
Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it.
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
Calamintha Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-7
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 1.5 ft tall
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: High
Georgia Has
- USDA Zones: 7a-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 17 - Mar 10
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 24 - Dec 4
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal Plain), Alluvial
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-7)
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 Calamintha in Georgia
The frost window
Across Georgia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 10, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 259-day window you can count on — up to 290 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
Georgia runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for calamintha, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether calamintha is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Georgia; 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
Calamintha likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Georgia's red clay (piedmont) and sandy loam (coastal plain) — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Georgia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Georgia site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
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. Georgia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Calamintha in Georgia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Georgia growers also need to think about:
Heavy red Piedmont clay is difficult to work and drains poorly
High humidity drives fungal diseases in summer
Fire ants are a persistent pest in gardens across the state
Summer heat (90-100F) can stress cool-season crops by May
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Georgia grower, not just calamintha — is covered on the Georgia growing guide.
Where in Georgia Calamintha Is Zone-Hardy
Calamintha is rated for USDA zones 5–7. Every Georgia county sits above it. Even Fannin County, the state’s coldest at zone 7b, is milder than the plant’s zone 7 ceiling — the constraint here is winter chill it will not get, not cold it cannot take.
Across those 159 counties Georgia’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 7b in Fannin County to zone 9a in Worth County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band calamintha needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Calamintha’s zone 5–7 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Calamintha 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, calamintha can only work that bloom inside Georgia's frost window — roughly 275 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 17 - Mar 10) and closing at the first (Nov 24 - Dec 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Georgia Cooperative Extension
For Georgia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for calamintha, the canonical source is UGA Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Calamintha native to Georgia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Calamintha as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Georgia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Georgia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Georgia 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 Calamintha in Georgia
When can I plant Calamintha in Georgia?
Georgia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 10, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Calamintha, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Georgia 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 Calamintha grown in across Georgia?
Georgia spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Calamintha carries a range of zones 5-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Georgia site have?
A typical Georgia site sees ~275 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Calamintha should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Calamintha native to Georgia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Calamintha as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Georgia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Georgia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Calamintha in Georgia?
Calamintha prefers pH 6-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across Georgia soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Calamintha actually grow on my specific land in Georgia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores calamintha 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 Georgia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores calamintha against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Georgia calamintha averages can't show:
We read public map data around Georgia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Georgia calamintha average
Explore More
Growing guides for calamintha
Explore Georgia county by county
Georgia carries 159 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for calamintha there:
Where else calamintha grows
Calamintha's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Georgia 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 Georgia
Georgia has a growing page for 1,034 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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