Sourwood is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 12. Its early summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees and native bees.
Sourwood — the short answer
Sourwood: grown in zones 5–12, shade, pH 4–6.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–12
- Hardy to zone 5a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 4–6.5
- 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 Sourwood on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether sourwood actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score sourwood against your land's real conditions.
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What Sourwood is
Sourwood grows as a perennial and reaches around 35 feet at maturity. It blooms white in early summer.
How to grow Sourwood
Sourwood grows in USDA zones 5 through 12. Sourwood does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 6.5.
USDA Zones
5-12
Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
Soil pH
4 - 6.5
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Cold Hardiness
-13°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
35 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set sourwood in shade with well-drained soil.
Match the soil
Sourwood prefers pH 4 to 6.5 (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.
Shape it while it is young
Prune sourwood 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 Sourwood thrives
On hardiness alone, sourwood grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 5 through 12) is unusually wide. 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 5–12 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 30 outright and splits 20 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–12·Where Sourwood 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 Sourwood stands, state by state
Sourwood is rated for zones 5–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 30 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 20 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–12
30 states
3 of 30 shown
The line runs through
20 states
3 of 20 shown
Sourwood’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.
Outside zones 5–12
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
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 Sourwood
Growing guides for sourwood
Good to know
Sourwood is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators.
Your land is one point inside Sourwood'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 Sourwood will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether sourwood 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 Sourwood
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 Sourwood in my zone?
Sourwood grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 12 (Rated hardy to zone 5a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Sourwood?
Set sourwood 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 Sourwood need?
Sourwood 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 Sourwood need?
Sourwood prefers soil pH 4 to 6.5 (USDA PLANTS). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Sourwood attract pollinators?
Yes — sourwood's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees and native bees.
Keep exploring Sourwood
Sourwood state by state
Every state sourwood's zone reaches — 18 link straight to that state's sourwood growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.