Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
silverleaf desmodium (zones 8-11) does not overlap with Kansas's zone range (5b-7a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Silverleaf Desmodium is hardy to zone 8, and the warmest ground in Kansas is zone 7 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Kansas winter. To grow it here, grow silverleaf desmodium in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 8-11 (plant) against 5-7 (Kansas). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Kansas spans zones 5b-7a, 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 silverleaf desmodium against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your full report in seconds
Zone Comparison
Silverleaf Desmodium Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-11
- Frost-Free Days: 180+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 3 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Kansas Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-7a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 1 - Apr 12
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 - Nov 3
- Annual Rainfall: 16-42 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Silt loam, Clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-11)
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 Silverleaf Desmodium in Kansas
The frost window
Across Kansas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 196-day window you can count on — up to 216 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
Kansas runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for silverleaf desmodium, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether silverleaf desmodium is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Kansas; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Greeley 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 silverleaf desmodium does not survive a Kansas winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Kansas under protection.
Frost-free days
Silverleaf Desmodium wants 180+ frost-free days; a typical Kansas site sees ~208 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
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
Silverleaf Desmodium likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7). That's the common-ground band across Kansas's prairie loam and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Kansas soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Kansas site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Kansas's soils run mostly silt loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Silverleaf Desmodium 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 silverleaf desmodium performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Kansas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Silverleaf Desmodium in Kansas — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 8-11 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 1 - Apr 12 to Oct 25 - Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Silverleaf Desmodium in Kansas
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Kansas growers also need to think about:
Low rainfall in western KS requires irrigation
Extreme wind and hail during severe storm season
Hot dry summers with 100F+ days
Growing silverleaf desmodium here specifically
Silverleaf Desmodium sends medium roots and rates to zones 8–11, but much of Kansas sits on slow-draining, restrictive ground (SSURGO hydrologic group D) that forks and stunts them.
Loosen a deep, stone-free bed for silverleaf desmodium and break any compacted or hardpan layer before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Kansas grower, not just silverleaf desmodium — is covered on the Kansas growing guide.
Timing shifts within Kansas
Kansas isn't one climate. In Greeley County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 23 — roughly 18 days later than the recorded state median — so plant silverleaf desmodium to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Silverleaf Desmodium needs about 180 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 103 of Kansas’s 105 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Cheyenne County at 181 frost-free days — 1 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Silverleaf Desmodium's 180-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Silverleaf Desmodium draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, silverleaf desmodium can only work that bloom inside Kansas's frost window — roughly 208 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 1 - Apr 12) and closing at the first (Oct 25 - Nov 3), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Kansas Cooperative Extension
For Kansas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for silverleaf desmodium, the canonical source is K-State Research and Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Silverleaf Desmodium native to Kansas?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Silverleaf Desmodium as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Kansas's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Kansas natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Kansas 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 Silverleaf Desmodium in Kansas
When can I plant Silverleaf Desmodium in Kansas?
Kansas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 1 and Apr 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Silverleaf Desmodium, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Kansas 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 Silverleaf Desmodium grown in across Kansas?
Kansas spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-7a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Silverleaf Desmodium carries a range of zones 8-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Kansas site have?
A typical Kansas site sees ~208 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Silverleaf Desmodium needs 180+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Greeley, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Silverleaf Desmodium native to Kansas?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Silverleaf Desmodium as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Kansas's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Kansas natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Silverleaf Desmodium in Kansas?
Silverleaf Desmodium prefers pH 5-7 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Kansas soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Silverleaf Desmodium actually grow on my specific land in Kansas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores silverleaf desmodium 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 Kansas
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores silverleaf desmodium against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Kansas silverleaf desmodium averages can't show:
We read public map data around Kansas — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Kansas silverleaf desmodium average
Explore More
Growing guides for silverleaf desmodium
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
Last updated: