Conditional — Some Areas
camellia (zones 7-9) reaches only part of Indiana (5b-7b): zone 7 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Indiana spans zones 5b-7b, 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 camellia 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.
No card required · your full report in seconds
Zone Comparison
Camellia Needs
- USDA Zones: 7-9
- Frost-Free Days: 240+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 15 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Indiana Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 4 - Apr 9
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 30 - Nov 4
- Annual Rainfall: 36-46 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Glacial till
Plant Zone Range (zones 7-9)
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 Camellia in Indiana
The frost window
Across Indiana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 4 and Apr 9, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 30 and Nov 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 204-day window you can count on — up to 214 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
Indiana runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for camellia, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether camellia is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Indiana; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Steuben County, not the statewide average.
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 camellia survives winter in part of Indiana, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Camellia wants 240+ frost-free days; a typical Indiana site sees ~209 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 31 days short of what it needs. A typical Indiana season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.
Chill hours
Camellia requires ~400 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Indiana typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
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
Camellia likes near-neutral soil (pH 4-6). That's the common-ground band across Indiana's silt loam and clay loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Indiana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Indiana 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 37.8% of Indiana as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Camellia 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 and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Indiana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Camellia in Indiana — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 7-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 4 - Apr 9 to Oct 30 - Nov 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Camellia in Indiana
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Indiana growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils limit drainage in many areas
Late spring frosts through early May
Hot humid summers promote blight and mildew
Growing camellia here specifically
Camellia needs sharp drainage and sends deep roots hardy to about 46°F; in Indiana, about 37.8% of soils are poorly-drained (SSURGO), and standing water is what actually kills it.
Build camellia up on a coarse, free-draining mound so its crown never sit in saturated soil. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Indiana grower, not just camellia — is covered on the Indiana growing guide.
Timing shifts within Indiana
Indiana isn't one climate. In Steuben County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 18 — roughly 11 days later than the recorded state median — so plant camellia to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Camellia needs about 240 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. No Indiana county gives it that outdoors: even Posey County, the state’s longest season at 232 frost-free days, falls 8 days short — so it needs transplants, a short-season variety, or covered growing.
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"). Camellia's 240-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Indiana Fits Best
Even within Indiana's zones 5b-7b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for camellia (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Camellia draws honeybees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, camellia can only work that bloom inside Indiana's frost window — roughly 209 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 4 - Apr 9) and closing at the first (Oct 30 - Nov 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Indiana Cooperative Extension
For Indiana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for camellia, the canonical source is Purdue Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Camellia native to Indiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Camellia as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Indiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Indiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Indiana 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 Camellia in Indiana
When can I plant Camellia in Indiana?
Indiana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 4 and Apr 9, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 30 and Nov 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Camellia, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Indiana 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 Camellia grown in across Indiana?
Indiana spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Camellia carries a range of zones 7-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Indiana site have?
A typical Indiana site sees ~209 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Camellia needs 240+ 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 Steuben, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Camellia native to Indiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Camellia as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Indiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Indiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Camellia in Indiana?
Camellia prefers pH 4-6 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Indiana soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Camellia actually grow on my specific land in Indiana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores camellia 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 Indiana
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores camellia against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Indiana camellia averages can't show:
We read public map data around Indiana — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Indiana camellia average
Explore More
Growing guides for camellia
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
Last updated: