Yes — Strong Match
maidenhair fern (zones 4-10) covers every zone Kansas contains (5b-7a), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Maidenhair Fern in Kansas — the short answer
Maidenhair Fern in Kansas: hardy in zones 4–10, part sun, against a state median of ~208 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 4-10
- 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
- Kansas zones
- 5b-7a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 1 - Apr 12 – Oct 25 - Nov 3
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 177 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.
Kansas spans zones 5b-7a, 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 maidenhair fern against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Kansas is not one climate
Kansas’s winter-low ladder runs across 105 counties, from zone 6 in Atchison County to zone 7 in Wilson County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between maidenhair fern overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 105 counties runs 6–6.5 zones, with a median of 6.5 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 105 Kansas 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 Kansas Fits Best
Even within Kansas's zones 5b-7a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for maidenhair fern (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Maidenhair Fern Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-10
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 1.5 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Kansas Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-7a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 1 - Apr 12
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 - Nov 3
- Annual Rainfall: 16-42 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Silt loam, Clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-10)
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 Maidenhair Fern in Kansas
The frost window
Across Kansas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 196-day window you can count on — up to 216 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
Kansas runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for maidenhair fern, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether maidenhair fern is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Kansas; 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
Maidenhair Fern likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.6-6.6). That's the common-ground band across Kansas's prairie loam and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. Drainage requirement: poorly (saturated >50% of year). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
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. Kansas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Maidenhair Fern in Kansas
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Kansas growers also need to think about:
Low rainfall in western KS requires irrigation
Extreme wind and hail during severe storm season
Hot dry summers with 100F+ days
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kansas grower, not just maidenhair fern — is covered on the Kansas growing guide.
Where in Kansas Maidenhair Fern Is Zone-Hardy
Maidenhair Fern is rated for USDA zones 4–10. Every one of Kansas’s 105 counties sits inside that band — from Atchison County at zone 6a to Wilson 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 105 counties Kansas’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Atchison County to zone 7a in Wilson County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°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. Rawlins County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 23, while Cherokee County is clear by Mar 24 — 30 days apart. Set maidenhair fern 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". Maidenhair Fern’s zone 4–10 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Kansas Cooperative Extension
For Kansas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for maidenhair fern, the canonical source is K-State Research and Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Maidenhair Fern native to Kansas?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Maidenhair Fern as native to Kansas. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Maidenhair Fern in Kansas
When can I plant Maidenhair Fern in Kansas?
Kansas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Maidenhair Fern, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Kansas 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 Maidenhair Fern grown in across Kansas?
Kansas spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Maidenhair Fern carries a range of zones 4-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Kansas site have?
A typical Kansas site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Maidenhair Fern 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.
Is Maidenhair Fern native to Kansas?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Maidenhair Fern as native to Kansas. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Maidenhair Fern in Kansas?
Maidenhair Fern prefers pH 4.6-6.6 and poorly (saturated >50% of year) drainage (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Kansas soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Maidenhair Fern actually grow on my specific land in Kansas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores maidenhair fern 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 Kansas
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores maidenhair fern against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kansas maidenhair fern averages can't show:
We read public map data around Kansas — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kansas maidenhair fern average
Explore More
Growing guides for maidenhair fern
Explore Kansas county by county
Kansas carries 105 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for maidenhair fern there:
Where else maidenhair fern grows
Maidenhair Fern's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Kansas 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 Kansas
Kansas has a growing page for 893 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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