Heath is a perennial grown for its blooms, which open in summer and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 7, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Heath — the short answer
Heath: grown in zones 5–7, full sun, pH 4.3–8.2.
- USDA zones
- 5–7
- 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
- Soil pH
- 4.3–8.2
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Heath on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether heath actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score heath against your land's real conditions.
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What Heath is
Heath grows as a perennial and reaches around a foot at maturity. It blooms in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
How to grow Heath
Heath grows in USDA zones 5 through 7. Heath does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.3 to 8.2, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 80 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-7
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.3 - 8.2
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
44.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
1 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
80+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant heath in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Heath prefers pH 4.3 to 8.2 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut heath blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Heath thrives
Heath is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 7. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–7 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 10°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 9 outright and splits 38 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–7·Where Heath growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Heath stands, state by state
Heath is rated for zones 5–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 9 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 38 more, and 4 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–7
9 states
3 of 9 shown
The line runs through
38 states
3 of 38 shown
Heath’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–7
4 states
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- Florida · zones 8b-12a
- Hawaii · zones 8b-13a
3 of 4 shown
Too cold at one end of the map, short on winter chill at the other. Each link is that state’s own growing hub — what holds in the ground there instead.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Heath
Growing guides for heath
In rotation planning, heath counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in perennial flower
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — heath isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Heath offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Heath's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Heath will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether heath actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Heath
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Heath in my zone?
Heath grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 7 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Heath?
Most growers plant heath after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 80-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Heath need?
Heath needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Heath need?
Heath prefers soil pH 4.3 to 8.2, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Heath attract pollinators?
Yes — heath's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Heath safe for pets?
Heath is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)
Keep exploring Heath
Heath state by state
Every state heath's zone reaches — 18 link straight to that state's heath growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.