Conditional — Some Areas
desert willow (zones 7-9) reaches only part of Kansas (5b-7a): zone 7 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Kansas spans zones 5b-7a, 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 desert willow 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.
No card required · your full report in seconds
Zone Comparison
Desert Willow Needs
- USDA Zones: 7-9
- Frost-Free Days: 180+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 25 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: High
Kansas Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-7a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 1 - Apr 12
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 - Nov 3
- Annual Rainfall: 16-42 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Silt loam, Clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 7-9)
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 Desert Willow in Kansas
The frost window
Across Kansas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 196-day window you can count on — up to 216 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
Kansas runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for desert willow, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether desert willow is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Kansas; 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 desert willow survives winter in part of Kansas, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Desert Willow wants 180+ frost-free days; a typical Kansas site sees ~208 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
Chill hours
Desert Willow requires ~200 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Kansas typically banks ~2500 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.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Desert Willow likes near-neutral soil (pH 6.5-8.5). That's the common-ground band across Kansas's prairie loam and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 7 and 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Kansas soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: excessive (dry/moderately dry). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Kansas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Desert Willow in Kansas — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 7-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 1 - Apr 12 to Oct 25 - Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Desert Willow in Kansas
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Kansas growers also need to think about:
Low rainfall in western KS requires irrigation
Extreme wind and hail during severe storm season
Hot dry summers with 100F+ days
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kansas grower, not just desert willow — is covered on the Kansas growing guide.
Timing shifts within Kansas
Desert Willow needs about 180 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 103 of Kansas’s 105 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Cheyenne County at 181 frost-free days — 1 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
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"). Desert Willow's 180-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Kansas Fits Best
Even within Kansas's zones 5b-7a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for desert willow (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Desert Willow draws native bees and hummingbirds (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, desert willow can only work that bloom inside Kansas's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 1 - Apr 12) and closing at the first (Oct 25 - Nov 3), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Kansas Cooperative Extension
For Kansas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for desert willow, the canonical source is K-State Research and Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Desert Willow native to Kansas?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Desert Willow as native to Kansas. 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 Desert Willow in Kansas
When can I plant Desert Willow in Kansas?
Kansas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Desert Willow, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Kansas 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 Desert Willow grown in across Kansas?
Kansas spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Desert Willow carries a range of zones 7-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Kansas site have?
A typical Kansas site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Desert Willow needs 180+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Desert Willow native to Kansas?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Desert Willow as native to Kansas. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Desert Willow in Kansas?
Desert Willow prefers pH 6.5-8.5 and excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That sits in the common-ground band across Kansas soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Desert Willow actually grow on my specific land in Kansas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores desert willow 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 Kansas
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores desert willow against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kansas desert willow averages can't show:
We read public map data around Kansas — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kansas desert willow average
Explore More
Growing guides for desert willow
Last updated: