Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
Pacific madrone (zones 9-13) does not overlap with Kentucky's zone range (6a-7b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Pacific Madrone is hardy to zone 9, and the warmest ground in Kentucky is zone 7 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Kentucky winter. To grow it here, grow pacific madrone under glass — a greenhouse is the only lift this wide the engine models.
A greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 9-13 (plant) against 6-7 (Kentucky). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Kentucky spans zones 6a-7b, 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 pacific madrone against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Zone Comparison
Pacific Madrone Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-13
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 50 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: High
Kentucky Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 4 - Nov 10
- Annual Rainfall: 42-52 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 9-13)
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 Pacific Madrone in Kentucky
The frost window
Across Kentucky, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 4 and Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 216-day window you can count on — up to 228 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
Kentucky runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for pacific madrone, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether pacific madrone is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Kentucky; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Greenup 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 pacific madrone does not survive a Kentucky winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Kentucky under protection.
Chill hours
Pacific Madrone requires ~200 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Kentucky 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
Pacific Madrone likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-7.4). That's the common-ground band across Kentucky's silt loam and clay loam — a soil test confirms it for your site.
Your land, not the state average
Kentucky's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. What matters for pacific madrone is the horizon its roots actually work, not the surface. That map unit, not the state average, decides how pacific madrone performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Kentucky soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Pacific Madrone in Kentucky — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 9-13 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 6a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 27 - Apr 2 to Nov 4 - Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Pacific Madrone in Kentucky
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Kentucky growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Bluegrass region
High humidity promotes fungal diseases
Karst topography creates drainage unpredictability
Growing pacific madrone here specifically
Pacific Madrone wants pH 4.5–7.4 and rates to USDA zones 9–13, but Kentucky's soils are dominantly silt loam — the fit is decided by your parcel's own map unit, not the state average.
Match pacific madrone to your parcel's SSURGO map unit — test pH and texture, and amend toward its 4.5–7.4 range. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kentucky grower, not just pacific madrone — is covered on the Kentucky growing guide.
Timing shifts within Kentucky
Kentucky isn't one climate. In Greenup County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 13 — roughly 13 days later than the recorded state median — so plant pacific madrone to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Kentucky Pacific Madrone Is Zone-Hardy
Pacific Madrone is rated for USDA zones 9–13. No Kentucky county reaches it. Even Lyon County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 7b, sits below the plant’s zone 9 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 120 counties Kentucky’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6b in Anderson County to zone 7b in Lyon County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band pacific madrone needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Pacific Madrone’s zone 9–13 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Pacific Madrone draws honeybees and native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, pacific madrone can only work that bloom inside Kentucky's frost window — roughly 221 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 27 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 4 - Nov 10), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Kentucky Cooperative Extension
For Kentucky-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for pacific madrone, the canonical source is University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Pacific Madrone native to Kentucky?
Pacific Madrone is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Kentucky. It can still earn a place in a Kentucky garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Kentucky 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 Pacific Madrone in Kentucky
When can I plant Pacific Madrone in Kentucky?
Kentucky's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 4 and Nov 10 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Pacific Madrone, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Kentucky 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 Pacific Madrone grown in across Kentucky?
Kentucky spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Pacific Madrone carries a range of zones 9-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Kentucky site have?
A typical Kentucky site sees ~221 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Pacific Madrone 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. In cooler counties like Greenup, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Pacific Madrone native to Kentucky?
Pacific Madrone is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Kentucky. It can still earn a place in a Kentucky garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Pacific Madrone in Kentucky?
Pacific Madrone prefers pH 4.5-7.4 (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Kentucky soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Pacific Madrone actually grow on my specific land in Kentucky?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores pacific madrone 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 Kentucky
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores pacific madrone against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kentucky pacific madrone averages can't show:
We read public map data around Kentucky — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kentucky pacific madrone average
Explore More
Growing guides for pacific madrone
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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