Generally — Most Areas
London plane (zones 4-8) suits most of Colorado (3b-7b) — zones 4-7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Colorado spans zones 3b-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 london plane against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
London Plane Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 80 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Colorado Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 25 - May 19
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 29 - Oct 16
- Annual Rainfall: 7-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Clay loam, Alkaline caliche
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant London Plane in Colorado
The frost window
Across Colorado, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 25 and May 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 29 and Oct 16 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 133-day window you can count on — up to 174 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
Colorado runs as cold as USDA zone 3, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for london plane, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether london plane is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Colorado; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says london plane survives winter in part of Colorado, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
London Plane requires ~400 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Colorado 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
London Plane tolerates a wide pH range (pH 3-10) — 7 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Colorado. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 8.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Colorado soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Colorado 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. Colorado soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
London Plane in Colorado — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 4-8 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 25 - May 19 to Sep 29 - Oct 16 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for London Plane in Colorado
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Colorado growers also need to think about:
Low annual rainfall (7-20 inches) means irrigation is essential nearly everywhere
High altitude UV and temperature swings stress plants
Very short growing season at elevation (60-90 frost-free days above 8,000 ft)
Alkaline soils (pH 7.5-8.5) limit acid-loving plants without amendment
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Colorado grower, not just london plane — is covered on the Colorado growing guide.
Where in Colorado London Plane Is Zone-Hardy
London Plane is rated for USDA zones 4–8. Every one of Colorado’s 64 counties sits inside that band — from Alamosa County at zone 4b to Mesa County at zone 7a — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 64 counties Colorado’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Alamosa County to zone 7a in Mesa County — 2.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Chaffee County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Jun 12, while Mesa County is clear by Apr 5 — 68 days apart. Set london plane out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". London Plane’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.
Where in Colorado Fits Best
Even within Colorado's zones 3b-7b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for london plane (USDA PHZM 2023):
Colorado Cooperative Extension
For Colorado-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for london plane, the canonical source is Colorado State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
What pests threaten london plane in Colorado?
Japanese beetle is documented in Colorado and will find london plane, but it is manageable here. What an experienced grower watches for, and does:
Japanese beetle
Worth watchingdocumented in part of this stateThe University of Kentucky lists this among the landscape plants Japanese beetles are most likely to attack, and the skeletonized, lace-like leaves can look alarming. But the honest calibration is the University of Minnesota's: a healthy, established tree, shrub or vine tolerates a lot of this feeding without significant, long-term injury — in most cases the damage is cosmetic and will not kill the plant.
What to do: For an established planting the move is to leave it be and keep it watered through the four-to-six-week flight — a vigorous plant outgrows feeding that looks worse than it is. Young or already-stressed plants are the exception and worth hand-protecting: knock beetles into soapy water in the cool of morning, when they are slow. The one thing not to hang is a Japanese beetle trap — University of Kentucky research found the lures pull in far more beetles than they catch.
Documented range: states listed as Japanese-beetle infested · University of Kentucky Entomology, 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 London Plane in Colorado
When can I plant London Plane in Colorado?
Colorado's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 25 and May 19, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 29 and Oct 16 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for London Plane, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Colorado 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 London Plane grown in across Colorado?
Colorado spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). London Plane 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 Colorado site have?
A typical Colorado site sees ~155 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). London Plane 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.
How should I amend the soil for London Plane in Colorado?
London Plane tolerates pH 3-10 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 7-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Colorado site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will London Plane actually grow on my specific land in Colorado?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores london plane 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 Colorado
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores london plane against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Colorado london plane averages can't show:
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