Generally — Most Areas
Japanese anemone (zones 4-8) suits most of Alaska (1a-9a) — zones 4-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Japanese Anemone in Alaska — the short answer
Japanese Anemone in Alaska: hardy in zones 4–8, part sun, against a state median of ~147 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 4-8
- 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
- Alaska zones
- 1a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 16 - May 15 – Sep 24 - Oct 29
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 85 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
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.
Alaska spans zones 1a-9a, 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 japanese anemone against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
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Alaska is not one climate
A single Alaska answer averages 28 counties whose growing seasons are 155 days apart — from 85 frost-free days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 in Sitka County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what japanese anemone can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 28 counties runs 118–196 days, with a median of 145 days — a 155-day span end to end.
Measured across 28 Alaska counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Japanese Anemone Stands in Alaska
Japanese Anemone is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. No Alaska county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Alaska winters, not about japanese anemone.
Below the zone 4 floor
30 counties
- Aleutians East County · zone 3a-4b
- Aleutians West County · zone 3a-4b
- Anchorage County · zone 3a-4b
3 of 30 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Japanese Anemone Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 4 ft tall
- Picking window: ~45 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Alaska Has
- USDA Zones: 1a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 16 - May 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 24 - Oct 29
- Annual Rainfall: 10-160 inches
- Common Soils: Permafrost, Glacial silt, Volcanic ash
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
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 Japanese Anemone in Alaska
The frost window
Across Alaska, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 132-day window you can count on — up to 196 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 japanese anemone goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Alaska's late-side last freeze of May 15 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: 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.
What Else to Consider for Japanese Anemone in Alaska
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alaska growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (70-110 frost-free days)
Permafrost prevents deep root growth in many areas
Limited soil development in glacial terrain
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alaska grower, not just japanese anemone — is covered on the Alaska growing guide.
Where in Alaska Japanese Anemone Is Zone-Hardy
Japanese Anemone is rated for USDA zones 4–8. No single Alaska county falls inside it: 0 are colder than the plant’s zone 4 floor and 0 are milder than its zone 8 ceiling. A band this narrow straddles the state rather than sitting inside it.
Across those 30 counties Alaska’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3a-4b in Aleutians East County to zone 3a-4b in Yukon-Koyukuk County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band japanese anemone needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Japanese Anemone’s zone 4–8 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Japanese Anemone draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, japanese anemone can only work that bloom inside Alaska's frost window — roughly 147 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 16 - May 15) and closing at the first (Sep 24 - Oct 29), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020.
Alaska Cooperative Extension
For Alaska-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for japanese anemone, the canonical source is UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Japanese Anemone in Alaska
When can I plant Japanese Anemone in Alaska?
Alaska's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (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 Japanese Anemone grown in across Alaska?
Alaska spans USDA hardiness zones 1a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Japanese Anemone carries a range of zones 4-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Alaska site have?
A typical Alaska site sees ~147 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Japanese Anemone 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.
Will Japanese Anemone actually grow on my specific land in Alaska?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores japanese anemone 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 Alaska
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores japanese anemone against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Alaska japanese anemone averages can't show:
We read public map data around Alaska — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Alaska japanese anemone average
Explore More
Growing guides for japanese anemone
Explore Alaska county by county
Alaska carries 30 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for japanese anemone there:
Where else japanese anemone grows
Japanese Anemone's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Alaska 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 Alaska
Alaska has a growing page for 1,020 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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