Silver Maple is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Its early spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Silver Maple — the short answer
Silver Maple: grown in zones 3–9, full sun, pH 4–6.5.
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Hardy to zone 3 — NCSU Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 4–6.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 32°F
- 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.
Score Silver Maple on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether silver maple actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score silver maple against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
See Silver Maple
What Silver Maple is
Silver Maple grows as a perennial and reaches around 90 feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in early spring.
How to grow Silver Maple
Silver Maple grows in USDA zones 3 through 9. Silver Maple does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 6.5, on well-drained ground.
USDA Zones
3-9
Rated hardy to zone 3 by NCSU Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NCSU Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-06).
Soil pH
4 - 6.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
44.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Mature Height
90 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set silver maple in full sun with well-drained soil.
Match the soil
Silver Maple prefers pH 4 to 6.5 (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.
Shape it while it is young
Prune silver maple only to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches while it is young; it is grown for its form, not a harvest, so little more is needed once it settles in.
Where Silver Maple thrives
Silver Maple is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. 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 3–9 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 42 outright and splits 9 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–9·Where Silver Maple growsOpen 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 Silver Maple stands, state by state
Silver Maple is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 42 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 9 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–9
42 states
3 of 42 shown
The line runs through
9 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 9 shown
Silver Maple’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 Silver Maple
Growing guides for silver maple
Good to know
Silver Maple offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Silver Maple'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 Silver Maple will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether silver maple 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 Silver Maple
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•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Silver Maple in my zone?
Silver Maple grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (Rated hardy to zone 3 by NCSU Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: NCSU Plant Toolbox (read 2026-10-06).). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Silver Maple?
Set silver maple out in early spring or fall while it's dormant, so the roots establish before the heat of summer. Your local last-frost date — which a Growable Ground report pulls for your exact address — sets the precise window.
How much sun does Silver Maple need?
Silver Maple needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. 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 Silver Maple need?
Silver Maple prefers soil pH 4 to 6.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Silver Maple attract pollinators?
Yes — silver maple's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Keep exploring Silver Maple
Silver Maple state by state
Every state silver maple's zone reaches — 34 link straight to that state's silver maple growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.