Salal is grown for its foliage and the structure it brings to a planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 8 through 13 and shrugs off deer. Its mid spring flowers are a moderate draw for native bees.
Salal — the short answer
Salal: grown in zones 8–13, shade, pH 5.5–7.
- USDA zones
- 8–13
- 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
- 5.5–7
- USDA PLANTS
- Sun
- Shade
- 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 Salal on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether salal actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score salal against your land's real conditions.
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What Salal is
Salal grows as a perennial and reaches around five feet at maturity. It blooms white in mid spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Salal
Salal grows in USDA zones 8 through 13. Salal does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7. It needs a growing season of at least 200 frost-free days and about 400 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
8-13
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 7
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Cold Hardiness
7°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
5 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
400+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
200+
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 salal in shade with at least 2 hours of direct sun.
Match the soil
Salal prefers pH 5.5 to 7 (USDA PLANTS). 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. Match watering to the plant's drainage preference and your local rainfall.
Keep it in good form
Prune salal to shape as it grows; the reward is its foliage and structure, not a harvest, so steady upkeep is the whole job.
Where Salal thrives
Salal is hardy across USDA zones 8 through 13. 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 8–13 spans average winter lows from 10°F to 70°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 3 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 8–13·Where Salal growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
Where Salal stands, state by state
Salal is rated for zones 8–13 — a cold floor USDA puts at 10 to 20°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 3 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 23 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
The line runs through
25 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- Idaho · zones 3b-8a
- California · zones 4b-11a
3 of 25 shown
Salal’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 Salal
Growing guides for salal
In rotation planning, salal 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 shrub
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — salal isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Salal offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Salal'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 Salal will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether salal 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.
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How we know this about Salal
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 Salal in my zone?
Salal grows in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 13 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Salal?
Time salal to your own season rather than the calendar, leaving enough of the season for its 200-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 Salal need?
Salal is shade-tolerant — it gets by on as little as 2 hours of direct sun, so it earns a place most vegetables can't use. A north-facing strip or the ground under a leafy canopy is right where it belongs. A Growable Ground report shows which corners of your land stay shaded through the day, turning those dim spots into planting spots.
What soil does Salal need?
Salal prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7 (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Salal attract pollinators?
Yes — salal's flowers are a solid nectar source for native bees. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Salal safe for pets?
Salal is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)