Can I Grow Red Yucca in New Hampshire?

USDA Zones 3b-6b · Plant zone range 6-10

Conditional — Some Areas

red yucca (zones 6-10) reaches only part of New Hampshire (3b-6b): zone 6 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.

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New Hampshire spans zones 3b-6b, 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 red yucca against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.

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Zone Comparison

Red Yucca Needs

  • USDA Zones: 6-10
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Mature size: 4 ft tall
  • Picking window: ~60 days of harvest
  • Drought tolerance: High

New Hampshire Has

  • USDA Zones: 3b-6b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 22 - May 4
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 10 - Oct 21
  • Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
  • Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Rocky loam

Plant Zone Range (zones 6-10)

6a
10b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 5.19.0

Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Red Yucca in New Hampshire

The frost window

Across New Hampshire, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 22 and May 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 10 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 159-day window you can count on — up to 182 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

New Hampshire runs as cold as USDA zone 3, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for red yucca, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether red yucca is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within New Hampshire; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.

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.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Red Yucca tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5.1-9) — 3.9 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in New Hampshire. 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 6.8 and 7.2 — worth knowing before you decide whether a New Hampshire soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: excessive (dry/moderately dry). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.

Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. New Hampshire soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Red Yucca in New Hampshire — Quick Answer

  • Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
  • Plant Zones: 6-10 (USDA PLANTS Database)
  • State Zones: 3b-6b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
  • Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 22 - May 4 to Oct 10 - Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)

What Else to Consider for Red Yucca in New Hampshire

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but New Hampshire growers also need to think about:

Very short season in the White Mountains (80-100 frost-free days)

Rocky glacial soils throughout the state

Harsh winters with deep snow cover

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New Hampshire grower, not just red yucca — is covered on the New Hampshire growing guide.

Where in New Hampshire Red Yucca Is Zone-Hardy

Red Yucca is rated for USDA zones 610. 3 of New Hampshire’s 10 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Hillsborough County at zone 6a. 7 counties sit below the plant’s zone 6 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in New Hampshire decides this one.

Across those 10 counties New Hampshire’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Coos County to zone 6a in Strafford County 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°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. Coos County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 13, while Rockingham County is clear by Apr 17 26 days apart. Set red yucca 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". Red Yucca’s zone 610 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Where in New Hampshire Fits Best

Even within New Hampshire's zones 3b-6b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for red yucca (USDA PHZM 2023):

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Red Yucca draws hummingbirds and native bees (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, red yucca can only work that bloom inside New Hampshire's frost window — roughly 171 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 22 - May 4) and closing at the first (Oct 10 - Oct 21), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

New Hampshire Cooperative Extension

For New Hampshire-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for red yucca, the canonical source is UNH Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Red Yucca native to New Hampshire?

Red Yucca is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in New Hampshire. It can still earn a place in a New Hampshire garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.

Looking for plants that belong here? The New Hampshire 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 Red Yucca in New Hampshire

When can I plant Red Yucca in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 22 and May 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 10 and Oct 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Red Yucca, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in New Hampshire 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 Red Yucca grown in across New Hampshire?

New Hampshire spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-6b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Red Yucca carries a range of zones 6-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical New Hampshire site have?

A typical New Hampshire site sees ~171 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Red Yucca 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 Red Yucca native to New Hampshire?

Red Yucca is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) does not document a native range in New Hampshire. It can still earn a place in a New Hampshire garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.

How should I amend the soil for Red Yucca in New Hampshire?

Red Yucca tolerates pH 5.1-9 and excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That is a 3.9-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a New Hampshire site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.

Will Red Yucca actually grow on my specific land in New Hampshire?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores red yucca against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in New Hampshire

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores red yucca against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that New Hampshire red yucca averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — New Hampshire averages 171Your sun & shade

We read public map data around New Hampshire — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the New Hampshire red yucca average

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