Conditional — Some Areas
Zone data for dahlia (pinnata) is not yet available. Growing may be possible depending on your specific location.
Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii — the short answer
Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii: full sun, against a state median of ~365 frost-free days.
- Hawaii zones
- 8b-13a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Killing freeze
- None on record
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020
- Shortest county season
- 365 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 90 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
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.
Hawaii spans zones 8b-13a, 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 dahlia pinnata against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Dahlia Pinnata Needs
- USDA Zones: Data pending
- Frost-Free Days: 90+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 4 ft tall
- Picking window: ~120 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Hawaii Has
- USDA Zones: 8b-13a
- Hard Freeze (28°F): None on record — year-round season
- Annual Rainfall: 10-400 inches
- Common Soils: Volcanic, Laterite, Coral sand
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 Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii
The frost window
Hawaii has none — the 1991-2020 station record carries no 28°F killing freeze, so there is no last-frost date to plant after and no first-frost date to harvest before (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record). The growing season is year-round; what paces planting here is rainfall, heat and elevation, not the calendar.
Establishment timing
As a long-lived plant, dahlia pinnata can go in any month here. Aim for the start of your wetter season so it establishes on rainfall rather than on irrigation, and give it a year in the ground before judging it.
Frost tenderness
Dahlia Pinnata is killed by cold below 32°F (FAO ECOCROP), which simply does not bind at low and mid elevation here. It does bind upslope: Hawaii's summit country genuinely freezes, and no station up there carries a long enough daily record for us to date it.
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
Frost-free days
Dahlia Pinnata wants 90+ frost-free days; a typical Hawaii site sees ~365 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 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
Dahlia Pinnata likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Hawaii's volcanic and laterite — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Hawaii soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Hawaii 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. Hawaii soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Hawaii growers also need to think about:
Extreme rainfall variation — desert on one side, rainforest on the other
Volcanic soil is nutrient-poor in young flows
Invasive species pressure is severe
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Hawaii grower, not just dahlia pinnata — is covered on the Hawaii growing guide.
Timing shifts within Hawaii
Dahlia Pinnata needs about 90 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Hawaii County — Hawaii’s shortest season at 365 frost-free days — clears that by 275 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Hawaii. What varies is your own parcel.
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"). Dahlia Pinnata's 90-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Dahlia Pinnata draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Dahlia Pinnata's flowers are not fenced in by a freeze date here: the 1991-2020 record resolves no 28°F killing frost anywhere in Hawaii, so what limits bloom is the plant's own cycle rather than the calendar.
Hawaii Cooperative Extension
For Hawaii-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for dahlia pinnata, the canonical source is UH Mānoa CTAHR Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Dahlia Pinnata native to Hawaii?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Dahlia Pinnata as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Hawaii's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Hawaii natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Hawaii 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 Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii
When can I plant Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii?
Any month — Hawaii records no 28°F killing freeze in the 1991-2020 station record, so there is no last-frost date to wait for and the growing season is year-round (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record). Pace planting by rainfall, heat and elevation instead: the summit country does freeze, and no station up there carries a long enough record to date it.
What hardiness zone is Dahlia Pinnata grown in across Hawaii?
Hawaii spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-13a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Dahlia Pinnata carries a range of zones Data pending, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Hawaii site have?
A typical Hawaii site sees ~365 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Dahlia Pinnata needs 90+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Dahlia Pinnata native to Hawaii?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Dahlia Pinnata as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Hawaii's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Hawaii natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Dahlia Pinnata in Hawaii?
Dahlia Pinnata prefers pH 6-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across Hawaii soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Dahlia Pinnata actually grow on my specific land in Hawaii?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores dahlia pinnata 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 Hawaii
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores dahlia pinnata against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Hawaii dahlia pinnata averages can't show:
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Growing guides for dahlia pinnata
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