Yes — Strong Match
hepatica (zones 3-8) covers every zone Wisconsin contains (3b-6a), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Wisconsin spans zones 3b-6a, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score hepatica against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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Zone Comparison
Hepatica Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-8
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 6 in tall
- Picking window: ~14 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Wisconsin Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-6a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 17 - May 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 9 - Oct 21
- Annual Rainfall: 28-34 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Sandy outwash
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-8)
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 Hepatica in Wisconsin
The frost window
Across Wisconsin, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 17 and May 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 9 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 160-day window you can count on — up to 187 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.
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.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Hepatica likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-8.5). That's the common-ground band across Wisconsin's silt loam and clay loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Wisconsin soil test result is a problem or just a number.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Wisconsin soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Hepatica in Wisconsin — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Yes — Strong Match
- Plant Zones: 3-8 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 17 - May 2 to Oct 9 - Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Hepatica in Wisconsin
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Wisconsin growers also need to think about:
Cold winters (-30F in northern WI)
Short growing season (110-140 frost-free days)
Sandy central soils drain too quickly
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Wisconsin grower, not just hepatica — is covered on the Wisconsin growing guide.
Where in Wisconsin Hepatica Is Zone-Hardy
Hepatica is rated for USDA zones 3–8. Every one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties sits inside that band — from Bayfield County at zone 4a to Racine County at zone 6a — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 72 counties Wisconsin’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4a in Bayfield County to zone 6a in Racine County — 2 USDA zones of spread, which is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Florence County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 16, while Milwaukee County is clear by Apr 5 — 41 days apart. Set hepatica out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Hepatica’s zone 3–8 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Where in Wisconsin Fits Best
Even within Wisconsin's zones 3b-6a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for hepatica (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Hepatica draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, hepatica can only work that bloom inside Wisconsin's frost window — roughly 173 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 17 - May 2) and closing at the first (Oct 9 - Oct 21), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Wisconsin Cooperative Extension
For Wisconsin-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for hepatica, the canonical source is UW–Madison Division of Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Hepatica in Wisconsin
When can I plant Hepatica in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 17 and May 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 9 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
What hardiness zone is Hepatica grown in across Wisconsin?
Wisconsin spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Hepatica carries a range of zones 3-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Wisconsin site have?
A typical Wisconsin site sees ~173 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Hepatica should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Hepatica in Wisconsin?
Hepatica prefers pH 6-8.5 (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Wisconsin soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Hepatica actually grow on my specific land in Wisconsin?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores hepatica 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 Wisconsin
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores hepatica against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Wisconsin hepatica averages can't show:
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