Generally — Most Areas
quaking aspen (zones 1-7) suits most of Tennessee (6a-8a) — zones 6-7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Quaking Aspen in Tennessee — the short answer
Quaking Aspen in Tennessee: hardy in zones 1–7, full sun, against a state median of ~230 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 1-7
- 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
- Tennessee zones
- 6a-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 21 - Mar 29 – Nov 5 - Nov 12
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 193 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.
Tennessee spans zones 6a-8a, 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 quaking aspen against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Tennessee is not one climate
Tennessee’s winter-low ladder runs across 95 counties, from zone 7 in Carter County to zone 8 in Tipton County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between quaking aspen overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 95 counties runs 7.5–7.5 zones, with a median of 7.5 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 95 Tennessee 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 Tennessee Fits Best
Quaking Aspen is rated for zones 1–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -60 to -50°F. Against Tennessee’s 95 counties that band holds in 21 of them, and the line runs at Carter County (zone 7a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 1–7
21 counties
- Cheatham County · zone 7a
- Claiborne County · zone 7a
- Clay County · zone 7a
3 of 21 shown
Above the zone 7 ceiling
74 counties
- Anderson County · zone 7b
- Bedford County · zone 7b
- Benton County · zone 7b
3 of 74 shown
Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it.
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 Tennessee's zones 6a-8a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for quaking aspen (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Quaking Aspen Needs
- USDA Zones: 1-7
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 65 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Tennessee Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 21 - Mar 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 5 - Nov 12
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 1-7)
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 Quaking Aspen in Tennessee
The frost window
Across Tennessee, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 21 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 221-day window you can count on — up to 236 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
Tennessee runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for quaking aspen, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether quaking aspen is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Tennessee; 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 quaking aspen survives winter in part of Tennessee, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Quaking Aspen wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical Tennessee site sees ~230 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Chill hours
Quaking Aspen requires ~1000 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Tennessee typically banks ~2040 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
Quaking Aspen tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-9.9) — 5.4 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Tennessee. 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 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Tennessee soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells). If your Tennessee site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
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. Tennessee soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Quaking Aspen in Tennessee
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Tennessee growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Nashville Basin
High humidity promotes disease in summer
Variable spring weather with late frost risk
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Tennessee grower, not just quaking aspen — is covered on the Tennessee growing guide.
Timing shifts within Tennessee
Quaking Aspen needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Johnson County — Tennessee’s shortest season at 193 frost-free days — clears that by 73 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Tennessee. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Tennessee’s 95 counties the frost-free season runs from 193 days in Johnson County to 266 days in Shelby County — a spread of 73 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Tennessee county sees 230 frost-free days, leaving quaking aspen about 110 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"). Quaking Aspen's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Tennessee Cooperative Extension
For Tennessee-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for quaking aspen, the canonical source is UT Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Quaking Aspen native to Tennessee?
Quaking Aspen is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Tennessee. It can still earn a place in a Tennessee garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Tennessee 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 Quaking Aspen in Tennessee
When can I plant Quaking Aspen in Tennessee?
Tennessee's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 21 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Quaking Aspen, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Tennessee 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 Quaking Aspen grown in across Tennessee?
Tennessee spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Quaking Aspen carries a range of zones 1-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Tennessee site have?
A typical Tennessee site sees ~230 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Quaking Aspen 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 Quaking Aspen native to Tennessee?
Quaking Aspen is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in Tennessee. It can still earn a place in a Tennessee garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Quaking Aspen in Tennessee?
Quaking Aspen tolerates pH 4.5-9.9 and poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 5.4-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Tennessee site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Quaking Aspen actually grow on my specific land in Tennessee?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores quaking aspen 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 Tennessee
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores quaking aspen against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Tennessee quaking aspen averages can't show:
We read public map data around Tennessee — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Tennessee quaking aspen average
Explore More
Growing guides for quaking aspen
Explore Tennessee county by county
Tennessee carries 95 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for quaking aspen there:
Where else quaking aspen grows
Quaking Aspen's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Tennessee 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 Tennessee
Tennessee has a growing page for 1,020 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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