Roselle is grown for the harvest, ready about 150 days after sowing. It's hardy across USDA zones 8 through 11 and stands up to deer. Its flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the harvest is the prize. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Roselle — the short answer
Roselle: grown in zones 8–11, part sun, pH 4.5–8.5, about 150 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 8–11
- 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
- Soil pH
- 4.5–8.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 150 days
- Growable Ground Plant Database
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.
Score Roselle on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether roselle actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score roselle against your land's real conditions.
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What Roselle is
Roselle reaches around six feet at maturity. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Roselle
Roselle grows in USDA zones 8 through 11 and is ready to harvest about 150 days after planting. Roselle does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4.5 to 8.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 3,000 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
8-11
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4.5 - 8.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
50°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
150 days
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
3000+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
6 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
0+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant roselle in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Roselle prefers pH 4.5 to 8.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at maturity
Roselle is ready about 150 days after sowing. Watch for cultivar-specific ripeness cues and pick at peak.
Where Roselle thrives
Roselle is hardy across USDA zones 8 through 11. 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 — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 8–11·Where Roselle growsOpen map →
Where Roselle stands, state by state
Roselle 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.
The line runs through
27 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 27 shown
Roselle’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
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.
What grows around Roselle
Growing guides for roselle
In rotation planning, roselle counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in vegetable
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — roselle isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Roselle offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest roselle, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant roselle for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Roselle'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.
See if Roselle will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether roselle actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
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 Roselle
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•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Roselle in my zone?
Roselle grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Roselle take to grow?
Roselle is ready to harvest about 150 days after planting. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Roselle?
Most growers plant roselle after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Roselle need?
Roselle does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Roselle need?
Roselle prefers soil pH 4.5 to 8.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Roselle attract pollinators?
Yes — roselle's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Roselle safe for pets?
Roselle is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)