Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
fairy duster (zones 8-11) does not overlap with Rhode Island's zone range (6b-7b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Fairy Duster is hardy to zone 8, and the warmest ground in Rhode Island is zone 7 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Rhode Island winter. To grow it here, grow fairy duster in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 8-11 (plant) against 6-7 (Rhode Island). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Rhode Island spans zones 6b-7b, 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 fairy duster 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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Zone Comparison
Fairy Duster Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-11
- Frost-Free Days: 240+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Drought tolerance: High
Rhode Island Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 3
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 7 - Nov 21
- Annual Rainfall: 44-52 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Coastal sand
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-11)
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 Fairy Duster in Rhode Island
The frost window
Across Rhode Island, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 218-day window you can count on — up to 239 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
Rhode Island runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for fairy duster, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether fairy duster is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Rhode Island; 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 fairy duster does not survive a Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island under protection.
Frost-free days
Fairy Duster wants 240+ frost-free days; a typical Rhode Island site sees ~225 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 15 days short of what it needs. A typical Rhode Island 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
Fairy Duster tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-7.5) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Rhode Island. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 6 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Rhode Island soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Rhode Island site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Rhode Island's soils run mostly fine sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Fairy Duster needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how fairy duster performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Rhode Island soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Fairy Duster in Rhode Island — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 8-11 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 6b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 27 - Apr 3 to Nov 7 - Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Fairy Duster in Rhode Island
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Rhode Island growers also need to think about:
Small lot sizes limit garden space in much of the state
Salt spray affects coastal plantings
Rocky glacial soils need clearing
Growing fairy duster here specifically
Fairy Duster needs pH 4.5–7.5; Rhode Island's dominant fine sandy loam soils may or may not deliver that, so your parcel's SSURGO map unit is the real test.
Start with a soil test on your own ground and adjust pH and texture to fit fairy duster's 4.5–7.5 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Rhode Island grower, not just fairy duster — is covered on the Rhode Island growing guide.
Timing shifts within Rhode Island
Fairy Duster needs about 240 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 1 of Rhode Island’s 5 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Newport County at 243 frost-free days — 3 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"). Fairy Duster's 240-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
Fairy Duster 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, fairy duster can only work that bloom inside Rhode Island's frost window — roughly 225 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 27 - Apr 3) and closing at the first (Nov 7 - Nov 21), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Rhode Island Cooperative Extension
For Rhode Island-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for fairy duster, the canonical source is URI Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Fairy Duster native to Rhode Island?
Fairy Duster is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Rhode Island. It can still earn a place in a Rhode Island garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Rhode Island 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 Fairy Duster in Rhode Island
When can I plant Fairy Duster in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Fairy Duster, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Rhode Island 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 Fairy Duster grown in across Rhode Island?
Rhode Island spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Fairy Duster carries a range of zones 8-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Rhode Island site have?
A typical Rhode Island site sees ~225 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Fairy Duster needs 240+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Fairy Duster native to Rhode Island?
Fairy Duster is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Rhode Island. It can still earn a place in a Rhode Island garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Fairy Duster in Rhode Island?
Fairy Duster tolerates pH 4.5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Rhode Island site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Fairy Duster actually grow on my specific land in Rhode Island?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores fairy duster 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 Rhode Island
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores fairy duster against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Rhode Island fairy duster averages can't show:
We read public map data around Rhode Island — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Rhode Island fairy duster average
Explore More
Growing guides for fairy duster
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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