Catalpa is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8 and shrugs off deer. Its early summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Catalpa — the short answer
Catalpa: grown in zones 4–8.
- USDA zones
- 4–8
- Hardy to zone 4 — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Catalpa on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether catalpa actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score catalpa against your land's real conditions.
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What Catalpa is
Catalpa grows as a perennial and reaches around 60 feet at maturity. It blooms white in early summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Catalpa
Catalpa grows in USDA zones 4 through 8.
USDA Zones
4-8
Rated hardy to zone 4 by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-06).
Soil pH
Data pending
Sun
Data pending
Drainage
Data pending
Mature Height
60 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set catalpa in full sun with well-drained soil.
Match the soil
Pull a soil test from your local Extension lab to confirm pH and drainage match catalpa's needs before planting.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Shape it while it is young
Prune catalpa only to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches while it is young; it is grown for its form, not a harvest, so little more is needed once it settles in.
Where Catalpa thrives
Catalpa is hardy across USDA zones 4 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 4–8 spans average winter lows from -30°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 26 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 4–8·Where Catalpa growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Catalpa stands, state by state
Catalpa is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 26 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 4–8
25 states
3 of 25 shown
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Catalpa
Growing guides for catalpa
Good to know
Catalpa offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Catalpa's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Catalpa will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether catalpa actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Catalpa
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Catalpa in my zone?
Catalpa grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8 (Rated hardy to zone 4 by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-06).). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Catalpa?
Set catalpa out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
What soil does Catalpa need?
Specific pH data for catalpa is pending. A soil test from your local Extension lab confirms what your site needs.
Does Catalpa attract pollinators?
Yes — catalpa's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Keep exploring Catalpa
Catalpa state by state
Every state catalpa's zone reaches — 3 link straight to that state's catalpa growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.