Yes — Strong Match
medlar (zones 5-8) covers every zone Virginia contains (5b-8b), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Virginia spans zones 5b-8b, 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 medlar against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Medlar Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-8
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 20 ft tall
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Virginia Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 22 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 2 - Nov 17
- Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Silt loam, Sandy loam (Tidewater)
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-8)
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 Medlar in Virginia
The frost window
Across Virginia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 214-day window you can count on — up to 240 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
Virginia runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for medlar, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether medlar is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Virginia; 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 medlar survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Days to maturity
Medlar matures in ~1825 days (Growable Ground Plant Database). A typical Virginia site has ~224 frost-free days, so tight — start indoors or use season-extension to close the gap.
Growing degree days
Medlar needs ~2000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~3662 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Virginia's typical season clears that easily.
Chill hours
Medlar requires ~600 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Virginia typically banks ~2477 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
Medlar tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5-8) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Virginia. 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 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Virginia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Virginia 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. Virginia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Medlar in Virginia — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Yes — Strong Match
- Plant Zones: 5-8 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 22 - Apr 2 to Nov 2 - Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
- Days to Maturity: 1825 days
What Else to Consider for Medlar in Virginia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Virginia growers also need to think about:
Heavy Piedmont red clay requires amendment
Humidity and heat in summer promote disease
Deer pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Virginia grower, not just medlar — is covered on the Virginia growing guide.
Where in Virginia Medlar Is Zone-Hardy
Medlar is rated for USDA zones 5–8. 127 of Virginia’s 133 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Highland County at zone 6a. 6 counties sit above its zone 8 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Virginia decides this one.
Across those 133 counties Virginia’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Highland County to zone 8b in York 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. Highland County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 27, while Hampton County is clear by Feb 26 — 60 days apart. Set medlar 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". Medlar’s zone 5–8 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 Virginia Fits Best
Even within Virginia's zones 5b-8b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for medlar (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Medlar draws honeybees and native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, medlar can only work that bloom inside Virginia's frost window — roughly 224 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 22 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 2 - Nov 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
For Virginia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for medlar, the canonical source is Virginia Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Medlar native to Virginia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Medlar as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Virginia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Virginia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Virginia 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 Medlar in Virginia
When can I plant Medlar in Virginia?
Virginia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Medlar, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Virginia 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 Medlar grown in across Virginia?
Virginia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Medlar carries a range of zones 5-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Virginia site have?
A typical Virginia site sees ~224 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Medlar 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 Medlar native to Virginia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Medlar as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Virginia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Virginia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Medlar in Virginia?
Medlar tolerates pH 5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Virginia site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Medlar actually grow on my specific land in Virginia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores medlar 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 Virginia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores medlar against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Virginia medlar averages can't show:
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