Conditional — Some Areas
catalpa (zones 4-8) reaches only part of Louisiana (8b-10b): zone 8 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Louisiana spans zones 8b-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 catalpa against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Catalpa Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Mature size: 60 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Louisiana Has
- USDA Zones: 8b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 30 - Feb 17
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 30 - Dec 8
- Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
- Common Soils: Alluvial clay, Muck, Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Catalpa in Louisiana
The frost window
Across Louisiana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 286-day window you can count on — up to 312 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
Louisiana runs as cold as USDA zone 8, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for catalpa, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether catalpa is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Louisiana; 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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says catalpa survives winter in part of Louisiana, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Catalpa requires ~500 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Louisiana typically banks ~641 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.
Catalpa in Louisiana — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 4-8 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 8b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Jan 30 - Feb 17 to Nov 30 - Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Catalpa in Louisiana
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Louisiana growers also need to think about:
Extreme humidity and rainfall promote rot and fungal diseases
Poor drainage in delta and coastal areas
Hurricane damage risk from June through November
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Louisiana grower, not just catalpa — is covered on the Louisiana growing guide.
Where in Louisiana Catalpa Is Zone-Hardy
Catalpa is rated for USDA zones 4–8. Every Louisiana county sits above it. Even Bienville County, the state’s coldest at zone 8b, is milder than the plant’s zone 8 ceiling — the constraint here is winter chill it will not get, not cold it cannot take.
Across those 64 counties Louisiana’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 8b in Bienville County to zone 10a in Plaquemines 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 catalpa needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Catalpa’s zone 4–8 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
Catalpa draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, catalpa can only work that bloom inside Louisiana's frost window — roughly 298 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Jan 30 - Feb 17) and closing at the first (Nov 30 - Dec 8), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Louisiana Cooperative Extension
For Louisiana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for catalpa, the canonical source is LSU AgCenter. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Catalpa native to Louisiana?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Catalpa as native to Louisiana. 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 Catalpa in Louisiana
When can I plant Catalpa in Louisiana?
Louisiana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Catalpa, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Louisiana 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 Catalpa grown in across Louisiana?
Louisiana spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Catalpa carries a range of zones 4-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Louisiana site have?
A typical Louisiana site sees ~298 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Catalpa 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 Catalpa native to Louisiana?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Catalpa as native to Louisiana. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Will Catalpa actually grow on my specific land in Louisiana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores catalpa 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 Louisiana
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores catalpa against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Louisiana catalpa averages can't show:
We read public map data around Louisiana — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Louisiana catalpa average
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Growing guides for catalpa
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