Generally — Most Areas
New Jersey tea (zones 5-11) suits most of Utah (4a-9a) — zones 5-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
New Jersey Tea in Utah — the short answer
New Jersey Tea in Utah: hardy in zones 5–11, shade, against a state median of ~175 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 5-11
- 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
- Utah zones
- 4a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 12 - May 6 – Oct 8 - Oct 27
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 98 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.
Utah spans zones 4a-9a, 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 new jersey tea against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Utah is not one climate
Utah’s winter-low ladder runs across 29 counties, from zone 4.5 in Rich County to zone 7.5 in Washington County. That is 30°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between new jersey tea overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 29 counties runs 6–7 zones, with a median of 6.5 zones — a 3-zone span end to end.
Measured across 29 Utah 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 Utah Fits Best
New Jersey Tea is rated for zones 5–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Against Utah’s 29 counties that band holds in 28 of them, and the line runs at Daggett County (zone 5b), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 5–11
28 counties
- Iron County · zone 5b
- Sanpete County · zone 5b
- Summit County · zone 5b
3 of 28 shown
Below the zone 5 floor
1 county
- Rich County · zone 4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Utah's zones 4a-9a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for new jersey tea (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
New Jersey Tea Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-11
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Shade
- Mature size: 3 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: High
Utah Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 12 - May 6
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 8 - Oct 27
- Annual Rainfall: 5-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Alkaline clay, Desert sand
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-11)
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 New Jersey Tea in Utah
The frost window
Across Utah, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 12 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 8 and Oct 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 155-day window you can count on — up to 198 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
Utah runs as cold as USDA zone 4, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for new jersey tea, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether new jersey tea is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Utah; 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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says new jersey tea survives winter in part of Utah, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
New Jersey Tea wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical Utah site sees ~175 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
Chill hours
New Jersey Tea requires ~600 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Utah 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
New Jersey Tea likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.3-6.5). That's the common-ground band across Utah's sandy loam and alkaline clay — a soil test confirms it for your site.
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. Utah soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for New Jersey Tea in Utah
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Utah growers also need to think about:
Very low rainfall — irrigation essential
Alkaline soils (pH 7.5-8.5) limit many species
High altitude frost risk in mountain valleys
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Utah grower, not just new jersey tea — is covered on the Utah growing guide.
Timing shifts within Utah
New Jersey Tea needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 26 of Utah’s 29 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Sevier County at 136 frost-free days — 16 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across Utah’s 29 counties the frost-free season runs from 98 days in Summit County to 237 days in Washington County — a spread of 139 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Utah county sees 175 frost-free days, leaving new jersey tea about 55 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"). New Jersey Tea's 120-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
New Jersey Tea 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, new jersey tea can only work that bloom inside Utah's frost window — roughly 175 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 12 - May 6) and closing at the first (Oct 8 - Oct 27), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Utah Cooperative Extension
For Utah-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for new jersey tea, the canonical source is Utah State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is New Jersey Tea native to Utah?
New Jersey Tea is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Utah. It can still earn a place in a Utah garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Utah 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 New Jersey Tea in Utah
When can I plant New Jersey Tea in Utah?
Utah's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 12 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 8 and Oct 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for New Jersey Tea, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Utah 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 New Jersey Tea grown in across Utah?
Utah spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). New Jersey Tea carries a range of zones 5-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Utah site have?
A typical Utah site sees ~175 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). New Jersey Tea needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is New Jersey Tea native to Utah?
New Jersey Tea is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Utah. It can still earn a place in a Utah garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for New Jersey Tea in Utah?
New Jersey Tea prefers pH 4.3-6.5 (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Utah soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will New Jersey Tea actually grow on my specific land in Utah?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores new jersey tea 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 Utah
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores new jersey tea against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Utah new jersey tea averages can't show:
We read public map data around Utah — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Utah new jersey tea average
Explore More
Growing guides for new jersey tea
Explore Utah county by county
Utah carries 29 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for new jersey tea there:
Where else new jersey tea grows
New Jersey Tea's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Utah 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 Utah
Utah has a growing page for 1,038 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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