Yes — Strong Match
plains coreopsis is grown in zones 2-11, which covers every zone North Dakota contains (3b-4b). Whether the season is long enough is the question that remains.
Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota — the short answer
Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota: grown in zones 2–11, full sun, against a state median of ~157 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- Grown as an annual — see the growing season
- Growing season, not a hardiness zone
- North Dakota zones
- 3b-4b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 30 - May 6 – Oct 4 - Oct 9
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 141 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.
Plains Coreopsis is grown as an annual, so your winter zone isn't the deciding factor — your frost-free window is. A typical North Dakota site runs ~157 frost-free days, but that is a state median, not your yard: slope, trees, and low spots move the last-frost date across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score plains coreopsis against your land's actual frost dates, sun, and soil.
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North Dakota is not one climate
North Dakota’s winter-low ladder runs across 53 counties, from zone 3.5 in Bottineau County to zone 4.5 in Stutsman County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between plains coreopsis overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 53 counties runs 4–4 zones, with a median of 4 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 53 North Dakota 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 North Dakota Fits Best
Even within North Dakota's zones 3b-4b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for plains coreopsis (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Plains Coreopsis Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 3 ft tall
- Picking window: ~60 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: Low
North Dakota Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-4b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 30 - May 6
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 4 - Oct 9
- Annual Rainfall: 14-22 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Clay (Red River Valley), Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-11)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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 Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota
The frost window
Across North Dakota, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 30 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 4 and Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 151-day window you can count on — up to 162 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.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when plains coreopsis goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 6 weeks ahead, so counting back from North Dakota's late-side last freeze of May 6 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
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.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Plains Coreopsis likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across North Dakota's prairie loam and clay (red river valley) — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a North Dakota soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your North Dakota site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range and preferred pH: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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. North Dakota soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota
The zone range tells you where plains coreopsis is grown — but North Dakota growers also need to think about:
Extreme cold (-40F) and short growing season
Persistent wind desiccates plants
Low rainfall in western ND
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every North Dakota grower, not just plains coreopsis — is covered on the North Dakota growing guide.
Where in North Dakota Plains Coreopsis Is Zone-Hardy
Plains Coreopsis is rated for USDA zones 2–11. Every one of North Dakota’s 53 counties sits inside that band — from Bottineau County at zone 3b to Stutsman County at zone 4b — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 53 counties North Dakota’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3b in Bottineau County to zone 4b in Stutsman County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°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. Bottineau County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 9, while Richland County is clear by Apr 23 — 16 days apart. Set plains coreopsis 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". Plains Coreopsis’s zone 2–11 band: a season crop, no zone claim. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Plains Coreopsis draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (high value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, plains coreopsis can only work that bloom inside North Dakota's frost window — roughly 157 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 30 - May 6) and closing at the first (Oct 4 - Oct 9), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
North Dakota Cooperative Extension
For North Dakota-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for plains coreopsis, the canonical source is NDSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Plains Coreopsis native to North Dakota?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Plains Coreopsis as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in North Dakota, but it does not say whether those North Dakota plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota
When can I plant Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota?
North Dakota's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 30 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 4 and Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Time outdoor planting to after the last hard freeze for your specific site — a further two to three weeks for anything tender — and count back from those dates for transplant scheduling.
What hardiness zone is Plains Coreopsis grown in across North Dakota?
North Dakota spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-4b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Plains Coreopsis carries a range of zones 2-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical North Dakota site have?
A typical North Dakota site sees ~157 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Plains Coreopsis 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 Plains Coreopsis native to North Dakota?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Plains Coreopsis as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in North Dakota, but it does not say whether those North Dakota plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
How should I amend the soil for Plains Coreopsis in North Dakota?
Plains Coreopsis prefers pH 5.5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across North Dakota soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Plains Coreopsis actually grow on my specific land in North Dakota?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores plains coreopsis against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in North Dakota
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores plains coreopsis against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that North Dakota plains coreopsis averages can't show:
We read public map data around North Dakota — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the North Dakota plains coreopsis average
Explore More
Growing guides for plains coreopsis
Explore North Dakota county by county
North Dakota carries 53 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for plains coreopsis there:
Where else plains coreopsis grows
Plains Coreopsis's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to North Dakota 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 North Dakota
North Dakota has a growing page for 745 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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