Generally — Most Areas
columbine (zones 3-8) suits most of Alaska (1a-9a) — zones 3-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Columbine in Alaska — the short answer
Columbine in Alaska: hardy in zones 3–8, part sun, against a state median of ~147 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 3-8
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Alaska zones
- 1a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 16 - May 15 – Sep 24 - Oct 29
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 85 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Alaska spans zones 1a-9a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score columbine against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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Alaska is not one climate
A single Alaska answer averages 28 counties whose growing seasons are 155 days apart — from 85 frost-free days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 in Sitka County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what columbine can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 28 counties runs 118–196 days, with a median of 145 days — a 155-day span end to end.
Measured across 28 Alaska counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Alaska Fits Best
Even within Alaska's zones 1a-9a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for columbine (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Columbine Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-8
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 2.5 ft tall
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Alaska Has
- USDA Zones: 1a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 16 - May 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 24 - Oct 29
- Annual Rainfall: 10-160 inches
- Common Soils: Permafrost, Glacial silt, Volcanic ash
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-8)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Columbine in Alaska
The frost window
Across Alaska, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 132-day window you can count on — up to 196 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.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when columbine goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Alaska's late-side last freeze of May 15 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Columbine likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-8.5). That's the common-ground band across Alaska's permafrost and glacial silt — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Alaska soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Alaska site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Alaska soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Columbine in Alaska
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alaska growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (70-110 frost-free days)
Permafrost prevents deep root growth in many areas
Limited soil development in glacial terrain
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alaska grower, not just columbine — is covered on the Alaska growing guide.
Where in Alaska Columbine Is Zone-Hardy
Columbine is rated for USDA zones 3–8. Every one of Alaska’s 30 counties sits inside that band — from Aleutians East County at zone 3a-4b to Yukon-Koyukuk County at zone 3a-4b — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 30 counties Alaska’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3a-4b in Aleutians East County to zone 3a-4b in Yukon-Koyukuk County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°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. North Slope County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Jun 7, while Sitka County is clear by Mar 24 — 75 days apart. Set columbine 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". Columbine’s zone 3–8 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
Columbine draws native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, columbine can only work that bloom inside Alaska's frost window — roughly 147 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 16 - May 15) and closing at the first (Sep 24 - Oct 29), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020.
Alaska Cooperative Extension
For Alaska-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for columbine, the canonical source is UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Columbine in Alaska
When can I plant Columbine in Alaska?
Alaska's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
What hardiness zone is Columbine grown in across Alaska?
Alaska spans USDA hardiness zones 1a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Columbine carries a range of zones 3-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Alaska site have?
A typical Alaska site sees ~147 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Columbine 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.
How should I amend the soil for Columbine in Alaska?
Columbine prefers pH 6-8.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Alaska soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Columbine actually grow on my specific land in Alaska?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores columbine 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 Alaska
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores columbine against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Alaska columbine averages can't show:
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Growing guides for columbine
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