Maiden Grass is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9 and shrugs off deer.
Maiden Grass — the short answer
Maiden Grass: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, pH 5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- 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
- Soil pH
- 5–7.5
- USDA PLANTS
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
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 Maiden Grass on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether maiden grass actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score maiden grass against your land's real conditions.
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What Maiden Grass is
Maiden Grass grows as a perennial and reaches around eight feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in mid summer. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Maiden Grass
Maiden Grass grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Maiden Grass does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7.5. It needs a growing season of at least 160 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7.5
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
8 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
160+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant maiden grass in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Maiden Grass prefers pH 5 to 7.5 (USDA PLANTS). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut maiden grass down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Where Maiden Grass thrives
Maiden Grass is hardy across USDA zones 5 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 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Maiden Grass growsOpen map →
Where Maiden Grass stands, state by state
Maiden Grass is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Maiden Grass’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.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
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 Maiden Grass
Growing guides for maiden grass
In rotation planning, maiden grass counts as a Grass — beds recover best when grass crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in grass/groundcover
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — maiden grass isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Maiden Grass isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Your land is one point inside Maiden Grass'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 Maiden Grass will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether maiden grass actually takes — we score it against the real 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.
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How we know this about Maiden Grass
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•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Maiden Grass in my zone?
Maiden Grass grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Maiden Grass?
Time maiden grass to your own season rather than the calendar, leaving enough of the season for its 160-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Maiden Grass need?
Maiden Grass needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. 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 Maiden Grass need?
Maiden Grass prefers soil pH 5 to 7.5 (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Maiden Grass attract pollinators?
Maiden Grass isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Is Maiden Grass safe for pets?
Maiden Grass is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)