Yes — Strong Match
rugosa rose (zones 4-10) covers every zone Tennessee contains (6a-8a), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
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 rugosa rose against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Rugosa Rose Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-10
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 6 ft tall
- Picking window: ~28 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: High
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 4-10)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Rugosa Rose 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 rugosa rose, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether rugosa rose 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.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Johnson County, not the statewide average.
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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says rugosa rose survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Rugosa Rose requires ~600 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
Rugosa Rose likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Tennessee's silt loam and clay loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Tennessee site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Tennessee's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Rugosa Rose needs about 19 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how rugosa rose performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Tennessee soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Rugosa Rose in Tennessee — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Yes — Strong Match
- Plant Zones: 4-10 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 21 - Mar 29 to Nov 5 - Nov 12 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Rugosa Rose 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
Growing rugosa rose here specifically
Tennessee's soils run mostly silt loam (Ultisols), and whether that suits rugosa rose's pH 5.5–7.5 preference comes down to your exact parcel, not the statewide picture.
Pull your parcel's SSURGO map unit, test pH, and amend toward rugosa rose's 5.5–7.5 target before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Tennessee grower, not just rugosa rose — is covered on the Tennessee growing guide.
Timing shifts within Tennessee
Tennessee isn't one climate. In Johnson County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 14 — roughly 21 days later than the recorded state median — so plant rugosa rose to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Tennessee Rugosa Rose Is Zone-Hardy
Rugosa Rose is rated for USDA zones 4–10. Every one of Tennessee’s 95 counties sits inside that band — from Carter County at zone 7a to Tipton County at zone 8a — 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 95 counties Tennessee’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 7a in Carter County to zone 8a in Tipton 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. Johnson County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 14, while Shelby County is clear by Mar 4 — 41 days apart. Set rugosa rose 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". Rugosa Rose’s zone 4–10 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 Tennessee Fits Best
Even within Tennessee's zones 6a-8a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for rugosa rose (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Rugosa Rose draws honeybees and native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, rugosa rose can only work that bloom inside Tennessee's frost window — roughly 230 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 21 - Mar 29) and closing at the first (Nov 5 - Nov 12), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Tennessee Cooperative Extension
For Tennessee-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for rugosa rose, the canonical source is UT Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Rugosa Rose native to Tennessee?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Rugosa Rose as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Tennessee's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Tennessee natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
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.
What pests threaten rugosa rose in Tennessee?
Japanese beetle is documented in Tennessee, and it hits rugosa rose where it counts. Here is what it actually does — and the move that beats it.
Japanese beetle
Act on thisRose is at the top of the Japanese beetle's preferred-plant list, and it is the one case where 'cosmetic' misses the point: the University of Minnesota notes healthy roses survive the feeding, but the blossoms are often ruined — the thing you grow the plant for.
What to do: Handpick or knock beetles into a bucket of soapy water, daily, in the cool of morning or evening — damaged leaves release an odor that pulls in more beetles, so removing them lowers next week's numbers. Handpick while the plant is in bloom, then net it once flowering is done. Skip the pheromone traps: University of Kentucky research found they draw in more beetles than they catch.
Documented range: states listed as Japanese-beetle infested · University of Minnesota Extension, National Plant Board
Only pests whose documented range and host relationship both trace to a primary source appear here — so a quiet section means we have nothing sourced to tell you, not that your garden is pest-free.
Common Questions About Growing Rugosa Rose in Tennessee
When can I plant Rugosa Rose 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 Rugosa Rose, 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 Rugosa Rose grown in across Tennessee?
Tennessee spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Rugosa Rose carries a range of zones 4-10, 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). Rugosa Rose 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. In cooler counties like Johnson, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Rugosa Rose native to Tennessee?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Rugosa Rose as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Tennessee's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Tennessee natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Rugosa Rose in Tennessee?
Rugosa Rose prefers pH 5.5-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Tennessee soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Rugosa Rose actually grow on my specific land in Tennessee?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores rugosa rose 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 rugosa rose against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Tennessee rugosa rose 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 rugosa rose average
Explore More
Growing guides for rugosa rose
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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