Generally — Most Areas
live oak (zones 7-10) suits most of Kentucky (6a-7b) — zone 7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Live Oak in Kentucky — the short answer
Live Oak in Kentucky: hardy in zones 7–10, full sun, against a state median of ~221 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 7-10
- 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
- Kentucky zones
- 6a-7b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 2 – Nov 4 - Nov 10
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 195 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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.
Kentucky spans zones 6a-7b, 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 live oak against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Kentucky is not one climate
Kentucky’s winter-low ladder runs across 120 counties, from zone 6.5 in Anderson County to zone 7.5 in Lyon County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between live oak overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 120 counties runs 6.5–7 zones, with a median of 7 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 120 Kentucky counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. 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 in Kentucky Fits Best
Live Oak is rated for zones 7–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at 0 to 10°F. Against Kentucky’s 120 counties that band holds in 82 of them, and the line runs at Adair County (zone 7a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 7–10
82 counties
- Allen County · zone 7a
- Ballard County · zone 7a
- Barren County · zone 7a
3 of 82 shown
Below the zone 7 floor
38 counties
- Anderson County · zone 6b
- Bath County · zone 6b
- Boone County · zone 6b
3 of 38 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.
Even within Kentucky's zones 6a-7b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for live oak (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Live Oak Needs
- USDA Zones: 7-10
- Frost-Free Days: 150+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 50 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Kentucky Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 4 - Nov 10
- Annual Rainfall: 42-52 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 Live Oak in Kentucky
The frost window
Across Kentucky, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 4 and Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 216-day window you can count on — up to 228 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
Kentucky runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for live oak, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether live oak is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Kentucky; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Greenup County, not the statewide average.
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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says live oak survives winter in part of Kentucky, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Live Oak wants 150+ frost-free days; a typical Kentucky site sees ~221 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Chill hours
Live Oak requires ~100 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Kentucky typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Live Oak likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Kentucky'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 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Kentucky soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry). If your Kentucky site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Kentucky's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Live Oak needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how live oak performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
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. Kentucky soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Live Oak in Kentucky
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Kentucky growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Bluegrass region
High humidity promotes fungal diseases
Karst topography creates drainage unpredictability
Growing live oak here specifically
Live Oak needs pH 5.5–7.5; Kentucky's dominant silt loam soils may or may not deliver that, so your parcel's SSURGO map unit is the real test.
Start with a soil test on your own ground and adjust pH and texture to fit live oak's 5.5–7.5 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kentucky grower, not just live oak — is covered on the Kentucky growing guide.
Timing shifts within Kentucky
Kentucky isn't one climate. In Greenup County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 13 — roughly 13 days later than the recorded state median — so plant live oak to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Live Oak needs about 150 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Greenup County — Kentucky’s shortest season at 195 frost-free days — clears that by 45 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Kentucky. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Live Oak's 150-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Kentucky Cooperative Extension
For Kentucky-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for live oak, the canonical source is University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Live Oak native to Kentucky?
Live Oak is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Kentucky. It can still earn a place in a Kentucky garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Kentucky growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Live Oak in Kentucky
When can I plant Live Oak in Kentucky?
Kentucky's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 4 and Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Live Oak, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Kentucky 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 Live Oak grown in across Kentucky?
Kentucky spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Live Oak 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 Kentucky site have?
A typical Kentucky site sees ~221 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Live Oak needs 150+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Greenup, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Live Oak native to Kentucky?
Live Oak is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Kentucky. It can still earn a place in a Kentucky garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Live Oak in Kentucky?
Live Oak prefers pH 5.5-7.5 and well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Kentucky soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Live Oak actually grow on my specific land in Kentucky?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores live oak 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 Kentucky
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores live oak against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kentucky live oak averages can't show:
We read public map data around Kentucky — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kentucky live oak average
Explore More
Growing guides for live oak
Explore Kentucky county by county
Kentucky carries 120 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for live oak there:
Where else live oak grows
Live Oak's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Kentucky 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 Kentucky
Kentucky has a growing page for 893 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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