Conditional — Some Areas
Nanking cherry (zones 2-7) reaches only part of Georgia (7a-9b): zone 7 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Georgia spans zones 7a-9b, 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 nanking cherry against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Nanking Cherry Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-7
- Frost-Free Days: 240+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 10 ft tall
- Picking window: ~21 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Georgia Has
- USDA Zones: 7a-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 17 - Mar 10
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 24 - Dec 4
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal Plain), Alluvial
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-7)
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 Nanking Cherry in Georgia
The frost window
Across Georgia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 10, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 259-day window you can count on — up to 290 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
Georgia runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for nanking cherry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether nanking cherry is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Georgia; 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 nanking cherry survives winter in part of Georgia, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Nanking Cherry wants 240+ frost-free days; a typical Georgia site sees ~275 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
Chill hours
Nanking Cherry requires ~800 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Georgia typically banks ~1015 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
Nanking Cherry tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-7.5) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Georgia. 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 5.5 and 6.3 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Georgia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Georgia 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. Georgia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Nanking Cherry in Georgia — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 2-7 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 7a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Feb 17 - Mar 10 to Nov 24 - Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
- Days to Maturity: 730 days
What Else to Consider for Nanking Cherry in Georgia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Georgia growers also need to think about:
Heavy red Piedmont clay is difficult to work and drains poorly
High humidity drives fungal diseases in summer
Fire ants are a persistent pest in gardens across the state
Summer heat (90-100F) can stress cool-season crops by May
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Georgia grower, not just nanking cherry — is covered on the Georgia growing guide.
Timing shifts within Georgia
Nanking Cherry needs about 240 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 149 of Georgia’s 159 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Gordon County at 242 frost-free days — 2 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across Georgia’s 159 counties the frost-free season runs from 204 days in Towns County to 305 days in Colquitt County — a spread of 101 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Georgia county sees 275 frost-free days, leaving nanking cherry about 35 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
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"). Nanking Cherry's 240-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Nanking Cherry draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, nanking cherry can only work that bloom inside Georgia's frost window — roughly 275 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 17 - Mar 10) and closing at the first (Nov 24 - Dec 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Georgia Cooperative Extension
For Georgia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for nanking cherry, the canonical source is UGA Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Nanking Cherry native to Georgia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Nanking Cherry as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Georgia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Georgia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Georgia growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
What pests threaten nanking cherry in Georgia?
Japanese beetle is documented in Georgia and will find nanking cherry, but it is manageable here. What an experienced grower watches for, and does:
Japanese beetle
Worth watchingJapanese beetles feed readily on Prunus fruit and nut trees — the University of Kentucky lists cherries, plums, peaches and their relatives among the plants likely to be attacked. The University of Minnesota's read keeps it in proportion: fruits and their trees tolerate limited leaf feeding, and in most cases the damage is cosmetic rather than a threat to the harvest.
What to do: Protect it through the few peak weeks of midsummer, not all season. Handpick beetles into soapy water in the cool of morning, harvest regularly through July and August to take feeding pressure off the fruit, and keep the tree well watered. Do not hang a Japanese beetle trap — the lures draw in more beetles than they remove.
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 Nanking Cherry in Georgia
When can I plant Nanking Cherry in Georgia?
Georgia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 10, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Nanking Cherry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Georgia 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 Nanking Cherry grown in across Georgia?
Georgia spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Nanking Cherry carries a range of zones 2-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Georgia site have?
A typical Georgia site sees ~275 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Nanking Cherry needs 240+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Nanking Cherry native to Georgia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Nanking Cherry as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Georgia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Georgia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Nanking Cherry in Georgia?
Nanking Cherry tolerates pH 4.5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Georgia site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Nanking Cherry actually grow on my specific land in Georgia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores nanking cherry 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 Georgia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores nanking cherry against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Georgia nanking cherry averages can't show:
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