Yes — Strong Match
cleome (zones 2-11) covers every zone Louisiana contains (8b-10b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Cleome is grown as an annual, so your winter zone isn't the deciding factor — your frost-free window is. A typical Louisiana site runs ~298 frost-free days, but that is a state median, not your yard: slope, trees, and low spots move the last-frost date across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score cleome against your land's actual frost dates, sun, and soil.
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Zone Comparison
Cleome Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 4 ft tall
- Picking window: ~90 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: High
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 2-11)
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 Cleome 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.
Frost tenderness
Cleome is frost-tender — its listed minimum temperature is 50°F (USDA PLANTS Database) — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when cleome goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 4 weeks ahead, so counting back from Louisiana's late-side last freeze of Feb 17 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 80 days to maturity (USDA PLANTS Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 206 days to spare even in Louisiana's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
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 cleome survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Days to maturity
Cleome matures in ~80 days (Growable Ground Plant Database). A typical Louisiana site has ~298 frost-free days, so plenty of room for a second succession.
Growing degree days
Cleome needs ~1000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~6204 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Louisiana's typical season clears that easily.
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
Cleome likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Louisiana's alluvial clay and muck — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Louisiana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Louisiana site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Louisiana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Cleome in Louisiana — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Yes — Strong Match
- Plant Zones: 2-11 (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)
- Days to Maturity: 80 days
What Else to Consider for Cleome 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 cleome — is covered on the Louisiana growing guide.
Timing shifts within Louisiana
Cleome needs about 80 days of frost-free season from planting to harvest. Even Claiborne County — Louisiana’s shortest season at 265 frost-free days — clears that by 185 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Louisiana. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Louisiana’s 64 counties the frost-free season runs from 265 days in Claiborne County to 365 days in Plaquemines County — a spread of 100 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Louisiana county sees 298 frost-free days, leaving cleome about 218 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
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"). Cleome's 80-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (days to maturity). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Louisiana Fits Best
Even within Louisiana's zones 8b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for cleome (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Cleome draws honeybees, native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, cleome 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 cleome, the canonical source is LSU AgCenter. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Cleome native to Louisiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cleome as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Louisiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Louisiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Louisiana 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 Cleome in Louisiana
When can I plant Cleome 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). Cleome is frost-tender — its listed minimum temperature is 50°F (USDA PLANTS Database) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
Can Cleome mature before first frost in Louisiana?
Yes — Cleome matures in 80 days (USDA PLANTS Database), and Louisiana's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 286 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 206 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Cleome grown in across Louisiana?
Louisiana spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Cleome carries a range of zones 2-11, 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). Cleome 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 Cleome native to Louisiana?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cleome as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Louisiana's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Louisiana natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Cleome in Louisiana?
Cleome prefers pH 5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Louisiana soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Cleome actually grow on my specific land in Louisiana?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores cleome 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 cleome against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Louisiana cleome 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 cleome average
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