Generally — Most Areas
Italian stone pine (zones 7-10) suits most of Tennessee (6a-8a) — zones 7-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee — the short answer
Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee: hardy in zones 7–10, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 7-10
- Rated hardy to zone 7a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
- Tennessee zones
- 6a-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 21 - Mar 29 – Nov 5 - Nov 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Typical season
- ~230 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Tennessee spans zones 6a-8a, 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 italian stone pine against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Italian Stone Pine Needs
- USDA Zones: 7-10
- Sun: Full Sun
Tennessee Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 21 - Mar 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 5 - Nov 12
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 7-10)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee
The frost window
Across Tennessee, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 21 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 221-day window you can count on — up to 236 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
Tennessee runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for italian stone pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether italian stone pine is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Tennessee; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Italian Stone Pine likes near-neutral soil (pH 4-6.5). That's the common-ground band across Tennessee'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 4.5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Tennessee soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Tennessee site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Tennessee soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Tennessee growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Nashville Basin
High humidity promotes disease in summer
Variable spring weather with late frost risk
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Tennessee grower, not just italian stone pine — is covered on the Tennessee growing guide.
Tennessee Cooperative Extension
For Tennessee-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for italian stone pine, the canonical source is UT Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Italian Stone Pine native to Tennessee?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Italian Stone Pine as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Tennessee's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Tennessee natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Tennessee growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Tennessee and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee
When can I plant Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee?
Tennessee's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 21 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Italian Stone Pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Tennessee 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 Italian Stone Pine grown in across Tennessee?
Tennessee spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Italian Stone Pine carries a range of zones 7-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Tennessee site have?
A typical Tennessee site sees ~230 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Italian Stone Pine needs 180+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Italian Stone Pine native to Tennessee?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Italian Stone Pine as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Tennessee's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Tennessee natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Italian Stone Pine in Tennessee?
Italian Stone Pine prefers pH 4-6.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Tennessee soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Italian Stone Pine actually grow on my specific land in Tennessee?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores italian stone pine against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Tennessee
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores italian stone pine against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Tennessee italian stone pine averages can't show:
We read public map data around Tennessee — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Tennessee italian stone pine average
Explore More
Growing guides for italian stone pine
Where else italian stone pine grows
Italian Stone Pine's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Tennessee in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Tennessee
Tennessee has a growing page for 1,011 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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