Generally — Most Areas
cardinal flower (zones 3-9) suits most of Arizona (5b-10b) — zones 5-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Arizona spans zones 5b-10b, 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 cardinal flower against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Cardinal Flower Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-9
- Mature size: 3 ft tall
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Arizona Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 1 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 13 - Dec 12
- Annual Rainfall: 3-25 inches
- Common Soils: Caliche, Sandy loam, Desert pavement
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-9)
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Cardinal Flower in Arizona
The frost window
Across Arizona, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 1 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 13 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 225-day window you can count on — up to 314 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
Arizona runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for cardinal flower, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether cardinal flower is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Arizona; 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.
Cardinal Flower in Arizona — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 3-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Feb 1 - Apr 2 to Nov 13 - Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Cardinal Flower in Arizona
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Arizona growers also need to think about:
Extreme heat exceeding 110F stresses most plants
Minimal rainfall requires drip irrigation
Caliche hardpan prevents root penetration without breaking through
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Arizona grower, not just cardinal flower — is covered on the Arizona growing guide.
Where in Arizona Cardinal Flower Is Zone-Hardy
Cardinal Flower is rated for USDA zones 3–9. 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Coconino County at zone 6a. 4 counties sit above its zone 9 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Arizona decides this one.
Across those 15 counties Arizona’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Coconino County to zone 9b in Yuma County — 3.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 35°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. Coconino County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 15, while Maricopa County is clear by Jan 15 — 120 days apart. Set cardinal flower 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". Cardinal Flower’s zone 3–9 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Where in Arizona Fits Best
Even within Arizona's zones 5b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for cardinal flower (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Cardinal Flower draws hummingbirds, native bees, and butterflies (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, cardinal flower can only work that bloom inside Arizona's frost window — roughly 266 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 1 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 13 - Dec 12), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
For Arizona-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for cardinal flower, the canonical source is University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Cardinal Flower native to Arizona?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Cardinal Flower as native to Arizona. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Cardinal Flower in Arizona
When can I plant Cardinal Flower in Arizona?
Arizona's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 1 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 13 and Dec 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Cardinal Flower, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Arizona 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 Cardinal Flower grown in across Arizona?
Arizona spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Cardinal Flower carries a range of zones 3-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Arizona site have?
A typical Arizona site sees ~266 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Cardinal Flower 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 Cardinal Flower native to Arizona?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Cardinal Flower as native to Arizona. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Will Cardinal Flower actually grow on my specific land in Arizona?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores cardinal flower 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 Arizona
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores cardinal flower against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Arizona cardinal flower averages can't show:
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