Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
hollyhock (zones 5-9) does not overlap with North Dakota's zone range (3b-4b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
North Dakota spans zones 3b-4b, 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 hollyhock against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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Zone Comparison
Hollyhock Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-9
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 6 ft tall
- Picking window: ~45 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
North Dakota Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-4b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 30 - May 6
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 4 - Oct 9
- Annual Rainfall: 14-22 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Clay (Red River Valley), Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-9)
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Hollyhock in North Dakota
The frost window
Across North Dakota, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 30 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 4 and Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 151-day window you can count on — up to 162 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.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when hollyhock goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from North Dakota's late-side last freeze of May 6 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
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
Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your North Dakota site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. North Dakota soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Hollyhock in North Dakota — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 5-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-4b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 30 - May 6 to Oct 4 - Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Hollyhock in North Dakota
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but North Dakota growers also need to think about:
Extreme cold (-40F) and short growing season
Persistent wind desiccates plants
Low rainfall in western ND
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every North Dakota grower, not just hollyhock — is covered on the North Dakota growing guide.
Where in North Dakota Hollyhock Is Zone-Hardy
Hollyhock is rated for USDA zones 5–9. No North Dakota county reaches it. Even Stutsman County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 4b, sits below the plant’s zone 5 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 53 counties North Dakota’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3b in Bottineau County to zone 4b in Stutsman County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band hollyhock needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Hollyhock’s zone 5–9 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Hollyhock 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, hollyhock can only work that bloom inside North Dakota's frost window — roughly 157 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 30 - May 6) and closing at the first (Oct 4 - Oct 9), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
North Dakota Cooperative Extension
For North Dakota-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for hollyhock, the canonical source is NDSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Hollyhock native to North Dakota?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Hollyhock as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of North Dakota's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few North Dakota natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The North Dakota growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
What pests threaten hollyhock in North Dakota?
Japanese beetle is documented in North Dakota and will find hollyhock, but it is manageable here. What an experienced grower watches for, and does:
Japanese beetle
Worth watchingdocumented in part of this stateThis is on the University of Minnesota's list of Japanese beetle preferred plants — but their read is that fruits, vegetables and herbs tolerate limited leaf feeding, and that in most cases the damage is cosmetic and will not kill the plant.
What to do: Protect it only through the few peak weeks: handpick into soapy water in the cool of morning, harvest regularly through July and August to take the feeding pressure off the edible parts, and keep the plant well watered — a vigorous plant outgrows feeding that looks worse than it is. Do not hang a beetle trap.
Documented range: states listed as Japanese-beetle infested · University of Minnesota Extension, National Plant Board
Only pests whose documented range and host relationship both trace to a primary source appear here — so a quiet section means we have nothing sourced to tell you, not that your garden is pest-free.
Common Questions About Growing Hollyhock in North Dakota
When can I plant Hollyhock in North Dakota?
North Dakota's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 30 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 4 and Oct 9 (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 Hollyhock grown in across North Dakota?
North Dakota spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-4b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Hollyhock carries a range of zones 5-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical North Dakota site have?
A typical North Dakota site sees ~157 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Hollyhock 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.
Is Hollyhock native to North Dakota?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Hollyhock as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of North Dakota's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few North Dakota natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Will Hollyhock actually grow on my specific land in North Dakota?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores hollyhock 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 North Dakota
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores hollyhock against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that North Dakota hollyhock averages can't show:
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