Generally — Most Areas
nandina (zones 6-9) suits most of Kansas (5b-7a) — zones 6-7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
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 nandina against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Nandina Needs
- USDA Zones: 6-9
- Frost-Free Days: 165+
- Sun: Shade
- Mature size: 8 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 6-9)
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 Nandina 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 nandina, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether nandina 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.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Greeley County, not the statewide average.
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 nandina survives winter in part of Kansas, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Nandina wants 165+ frost-free days; a typical Kansas site sees ~208 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
Chill hours
Nandina requires ~200 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Kansas 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
Nandina likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-6). That's the common-ground band across Kansas's prairie loam and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site.
Your land, not the state average
Kansas soil pH runs about 6.1–6.8, and that sits above nandina's tolerated 4.5–6, so the typical Kansas parcel needs sulfur to bring it down. SSURGO maps it swinging by full points parcel to parcel, so your map unit, not the state number, decides whether nandina needs lime or sulfur.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Kansas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Nandina in Kansas — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 6-9 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 1 - Apr 12 to Oct 25 - Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Nandina 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
Growing nandina here specifically
Nandina does best acidic (pH 4.5–6.0); Kansas soils average near pH 6.4, alkaline enough to yellow its leaves as micronutrients lock away.
Work in elemental sulfur or acidic organic matter to pull your parcel toward pH 4.5–6.0, then retest. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kansas grower, not just nandina — is covered on the Kansas growing guide.
Timing shifts within Kansas
Kansas isn't one climate. In Greeley County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 23 — roughly 18 days later than the recorded state median — so plant nandina to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Nandina needs about 165 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Greeley County — Kansas’s shortest season at 177 frost-free days — clears that by 12 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Kansas. 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"). Nandina's 165-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
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 nandina (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Nandina draws honeybees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, nandina can only work that bloom inside Kansas's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 1 - Apr 12) and closing at the first (Oct 25 - Nov 3), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Good to Know Before You Plant Nandina
Nandina is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (berries) at a moderate level (ASPCA). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.
Kansas Cooperative Extension
For Kansas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for nandina, 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 Nandina native to Kansas?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Nandina as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Kansas's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Kansas natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Kansas 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 Nandina in Kansas
When can I plant Nandina 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 Nandina, 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 Nandina grown in across Kansas?
Kansas spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Nandina carries a range of zones 6-9, 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). Nandina needs 165+ 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 Greeley, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Nandina native to Kansas?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Nandina as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Kansas's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Kansas natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Nandina in Kansas?
Nandina prefers pH 4.5-6 (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 Nandina actually grow on my specific land in Kansas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores nandina 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 nandina against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kansas nandina 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 nandina average
Explore More
Growing guides for nandina
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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