red tasselflower (Emilia sonchifolia), photographi

How to Grow Red Tasselflower

Emilia sonchifolia · Zones 8-11

Red Tasselflower is an annual grown for its blooms. Season length, not a winter zone, decides where it grows. Its flowers are a modest draw for honeybees and native bees.

Red Tasselflower — the short answer

Red Tasselflower: grown in zones 8–11, full sun, pH 4–7.

USDA zones
Grown as an annual — see the growing season
Growing season, not a hardiness zone
Soil pH
4–7
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Converted from FAO ECOCROP

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.

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Score Red Tasselflower on your exact land.

Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether red tasselflower actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score red tasselflower against your land's real conditions.

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What Red Tasselflower is

Red Tasselflower grows as an annual.

How to grow Red Tasselflower

Season length, not a winter zone, decides where red tasselflower grows. Red Tasselflower does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 7, on well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 90 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.

USDA Zones

Grown as an annual — see the growing season

Soil pH

4 - 7

FAO ECOCROP

Sun

Full Sun

Converted from FAO ECOCROP

Drainage

well (dry spells)

FAO ECOCROP

Minimum Growing Temperature

50°F

Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.

FAO ECOCROP

Frost-Free Days

90+

The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.

Growable Ground plant catalog

  1. Start the season right

    Plant red tasselflower in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

  2. Match the soil

    Red Tasselflower prefers pH 4 to 7 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.

  3. Harvest at its peak

    Cut red tasselflower blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.

Where Red Tasselflower thrives

Season length, not a winter zone, decides where red tasselflower grows. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.

A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 8–11 spans average winter lows from 10°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 1 outright and splits 27 more down the middle.

Zones 8–11 highlighted on the USDA national hardiness zone map

Zones 8–11·Hardiness bandOpen map →

This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Where Red Tasselflower stands, state by state

Red Tasselflower is rated for zones 8–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 1 sits fully inside that band, the line runs through 27 more, and 23 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.

Fully inside zones 8–11

1 state

The line runs through

27 states

3 of 27 shown

Outside zones 8–11

23 states

3 of 23 shown

State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.

Good to know

Red Tasselflower offers low value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

Your land is one point inside Red Tasselflower's range

This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.

Free to start

See if Red Tasselflower will thrive on your land

Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether red tasselflower actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.

Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:

Your soil pHYour frost-free daysYour sun & shade

We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources analyzed in seconds

How we know this about Red Tasselflower

The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.

Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database

Frequently asked questions

Can I grow Red Tasselflower in my zone?

Red Tasselflower is grown as an annual, so a hardiness zone does not decide it — its growing season follows your last and first frost dates. Soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.

When should you plant Red Tasselflower?

Most growers plant red tasselflower after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 90-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.

How much sun does Red Tasselflower need?

Red Tasselflower needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.

What soil does Red Tasselflower need?

Red Tasselflower prefers soil pH 4 to 7, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.

Does Red Tasselflower attract pollinators?

Yes — red tasselflower's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees and native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

Keep exploring Red Tasselflower

Red Tasselflower by USDA hardiness zone

Red Tasselflower state by state

Every state red tasselflower's zone reaches — 3 link straight to that state's red tasselflower growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.