Sourwood is a tree, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 6 through 12. Its early summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees and native bees.
Sourwood — the short answer
Sourwood: grown in zones 6–12, shade, pH 4–6.5.
- USDA zones
- 6–12
- 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
- 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 6 through 12. Sourwood does best in shade — at least 2 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 4 to 6.5. It needs a growing season of at least 150 frost-free days and about 600 hours of winter chill, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
6-12
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
4 - 6.5
USDA PLANTS
Sun
Shade
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
Data pending
Growable Ground plant catalog
Cold Hardiness
-13°F
The coldest temperature this plant is documented to survive.
USDA PLANTS
Mature Height
35 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Chill Hours
600+
Winter hours below ~45°F it needs to fruit — too-mild winters can leave it bloom-shy.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
150+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Plant it right
Set sourwood in shade with well-drained soil. Many fruit trees need a second variety nearby to pollinate — check before you plant just one.
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.
Be patient, then harvest
Prune annually while the tree establishes; fruit trees reward patience with years of harvest. Local Extension guides publish per-cultivar bearing-age tables.
Where Sourwood thrives
Sourwood is hardy across USDA zones 6 through 12. 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 6–12 spans average winter lows from -10°F to 60°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 17 outright and splits 31 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 6–12·Where Sourwood growsOpen map →
Where Sourwood stands, state by state
Sourwood is rated for zones 6–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 17 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 31 more, and 3 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 6–12
17 states
- Arkansas · zones 6b-8b
- Connecticut · zones 6a-7b
- Kentucky · zones 6a-7b
3 of 17 shown
The line runs through
31 states
3 of 31 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 6–12
3 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
- South Dakota · zones 4a-5b
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
In rotation planning, sourwood 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)
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — sourwood isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
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.
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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•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Sourwood in my zone?
Sourwood grows in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 12 (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 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.
Is Sourwood safe for pets?
Sourwood is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)