Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
croton (zones 11-12) does not overlap with Arizona's zone range (5b-10b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Croton is hardy to zone 11, and the warmest ground in Arizona is zone 10 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Arizona winter. To grow it here, grow croton in a hoop house or unheated greenhouse — its modeled 1.5-zone lift covers this gap.
A hoop house or unheated greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 11-12 (plant) against 5-10 (Arizona). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['hoop_house'] (+1.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Croton in Arizona — the short answer
Croton in Arizona: hardy in zones 11–12, full sun, against a state median of ~266 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 11-12
- 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
- Arizona zones
- 5b-10b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 1 - Apr 2 – Nov 13 - Dec 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 150 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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.
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 croton against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Arizona is not one climate
Arizona’s winter-low ladder runs across 15 counties, from zone 6 in Coconino County to zone 9.5 in Yuma County. That is 35°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between croton overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 15 counties runs 7.5–9.5 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 3.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 15 Arizona counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. 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 Croton Stands in Arizona
Croton is rated for zones 11–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 40 to 50°F. No Arizona county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Arizona winters, not about croton.
Below the zone 11 floor
15 counties
- Coconino County · zone 6a
- Apache County · zone 6b
- Navajo County · zone 7a
3 of 15 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Croton Needs
- USDA Zones: 11-12
- Frost-Free Days: 365+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 8 ft tall
- 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 11-12)
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 Croton 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 croton, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether croton 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.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Coconino County, not the statewide average.
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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says croton does not survive a Arizona winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Arizona under protection.
Frost-free days
Croton wants 365+ frost-free days; a typical Arizona site sees ~266 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 99 days short of what it needs. A typical Arizona season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.
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
Croton likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-6.5). That's the common-ground band across Arizona's caliche and sandy loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Arizona soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Arizona site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Arizona soil pH runs about 7.4–8.2, and that sits above croton's tolerated 5–6.5, so the typical Arizona parcel needs sulfur to bring it down. SSURGO maps it swinging by full points parcel to parcel, so your map unit, not the state number, decides whether croton needs lime or sulfur.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
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. Arizona soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Croton 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
Growing croton here specifically
Croton prefers acidic soil (pH 5.0–6.5), but Arizona's soils trend alkaline (SSURGO dominant pH near 7.8) — above its range, iron and other micronutrients become unavailable.
Test your soil and acidify with elemental sulfur toward croton's 5.0–6.5 range before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Arizona grower, not just croton — is covered on the Arizona growing guide.
Timing shifts within Arizona
Arizona isn't one climate. In Coconino County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 15 — roughly 78 days later than the recorded state median — so plant croton to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Croton needs about 365 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. No Arizona county gives it that outdoors: even Maricopa County, the state’s longest season at 345 frost-free days, falls 20 days short — so it needs transplants, a short-season variety, or covered growing.
Across Arizona’s 15 counties the frost-free season runs from 150 days in Coconino County to 345 days in Maricopa County — a spread of 195 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Arizona county sees 266 frost-free days, which is 99 days short of what croton needs — so on a typical Arizona parcel this is a transplant-or-protect crop, not a direct-sow one.
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"). Croton's 365-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Good to Know Before You Plant Croton
Croton is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (all) at a mild level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear. Parts of croton carry minor toxicity for people, so know which parts are edible before harvest.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
For Arizona-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for croton, 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 Croton native to Arizona?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Croton as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Arizona's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Arizona natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Arizona 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 Croton in Arizona
When can I plant Croton 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 Croton, 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 Croton grown in across Arizona?
Arizona spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Croton carries a range of zones 11-12, 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). Croton needs 365+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Coconino, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Croton native to Arizona?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Croton as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Arizona's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Arizona natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Croton in Arizona?
Croton prefers pH 5-6.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across Arizona soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Croton actually grow on my specific land in Arizona?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores croton 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 croton against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Arizona croton averages can't show:
We read public map data around Arizona — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Arizona croton average
Explore More
Growing guides for croton
Explore Arizona county by county
Arizona carries 15 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for croton there:
Where else croton grows
Croton's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Arizona in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Arizona
Arizona has a growing page for 1,041 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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