Horehound is a perennial medicinal herb, long valued for its traditional uses. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9, stands up to deer, handles dry spells once it's established, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Horehound — the short answer
Horehound: grown in zones 3–9, full sun, pH 4.5–7.5, about 90 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH
- 4.5–7.5
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Sun
- Full Sun
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Days to Maturity
- 90 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- -30°F
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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 Horehound on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether horehound actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score horehound against your land's real conditions.
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What Horehound is
Horehound grows as a perennial and reaches around two feet at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Mature height, bloom period, deer resistance and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Horehound
Horehound grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and is ready to harvest about 90 days after planting. Horehound does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 800 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-9
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
4.5 - 7.5
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sun
Full Sun
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Frost Kill Temperature
-30°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Days to Maturity
90 days
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
800+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
2 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant horehound in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Match the soil
Horehound prefers pH 4.5 to 7.5. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while horehound establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Harvest at its peak
Harvest the part you grow horehound for — flower, leaf, or root — at its seasonal peak.
Where Horehound thrives
Horehound is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. 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 3–9 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 42 outright and splits 9 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–9·Where Horehound 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 Horehound stands, state by state
Horehound is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 42 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 9 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–9
42 states
3 of 42 shown
The line runs through
9 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 9 shown
Horehound’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.
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 Horehound
Growing guides for horehound
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — horehound is toxic to dogs and cats (mild severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Pet Poison Helpline.)
Horehound offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest horehound, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant horehound for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Horehound'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 Horehound will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether horehound actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled 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.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Horehound
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
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Horehound in my zone?
Horehound grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Horehound take to grow?
Horehound is ready to harvest about 90 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Horehound?
Horehound is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Horehound need?
Horehound needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. 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 Horehound need?
Horehound prefers soil pH 4.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Horehound attract pollinators?
Yes — horehound's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Is Horehound safe for pets?
Horehound is toxic to dogs and cats with mild severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: Pet Poison Helpline.)
Keep exploring Horehound
Horehound state by state
Every state horehound's zone reaches — 24 link straight to that state's horehound growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.