statice (Limonium sinuatum), photographi

Can I Grow Statice in Alaska?

USDA Zones 1a-9a · Plant zone range 2-11

Generally — Most Areas

statice (zones 2-11) suits most of Alaska (1a-9a) — zones 2-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.

Statice in Alaska — the short answer

Statice in Alaska: hardy in zones 2–11, full sun, against a state median of ~147 frost-free days.

Plant zones
2-11
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
Alaska zones
1a-9a
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Apr 16 - May 15 – Sep 24 - Oct 29
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
85 days
NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Days to maturity
110 days
Growable Ground Plant Database

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.

Score your parcel · free

Your yard isn't the whole zone.

Alaska spans zones 1a-9a, 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 statice against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.

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Alaska is not one climate

A single Alaska answer averages 28 counties whose growing seasons are 155 days apart — from 85 frost-free days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 in Sitka County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what statice can finish before the first hard freeze.

85 daysSoutheast Fairbanks County240 daysSitka County

The middle half of 28 counties runs 118196 days, with a median of 145 days — a 155-day span end to end.

Measured across 28 Alaska counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.

Where in Alaska Fits Best

Even within Alaska's zones 1a-9a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for statice (USDA PHZM 2023):

Zone Comparison

Statice Needs

  • USDA Zones: 2-11
  • Frost-Free Days: 210+
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Mature size: 2 ft tall
  • Picking window: ~90 days of harvest
  • Drought tolerance: High

Alaska Has

  • USDA Zones: 1a-9a
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 16 - May 15
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 24 - Oct 29
  • Annual Rainfall: 10-160 inches
  • Common Soils: Permafrost, Glacial silt, Volcanic ash

Plant Zone Range (zones 2-11)

2a
11b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 5.58.0

Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Statice in Alaska

The frost window

Across Alaska, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 132-day window you can count on — up to 196 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.

When to start the seed

Those dates are when statice goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Alaska's late-side last freeze of May 15 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.

Winter standing

Statice overwinters from USDA zone 8 and warmer (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder), and Alaska runs as cold as zone 1, so it does not survive winter in the ground here. It is a woody plant rather than a crop you resow each spring, so neither a fall establishment date nor a harvest countdown describes it in Alaska — which is why this page gives neither. What it needs here is a way through winter, not a planting date.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. 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 statice survives winter in part of Alaska, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.

Frost-free days

Statice wants 210+ frost-free days; a typical Alaska site sees ~147 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020) — 63 days short of what it needs. A typical Alaska season does not carry this crop to harvest outdoors, and a gap that size is not one an earlier sowing date or a faster cultivar closes; growing it here means growing it under cover.

GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 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

Statice likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-8). That's the common-ground band across Alaska's permafrost and glacial silt — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6.5 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Alaska soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Alaska site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Alaska soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

What Else to Consider for Statice in Alaska

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alaska growers also need to think about:

Extremely short growing season (70-110 frost-free days)

Permafrost prevents deep root growth in many areas

Limited soil development in glacial terrain

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alaska grower, not just statice — is covered on the Alaska growing guide.

Timing shifts within Alaska

Statice needs about 210 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 5 of Alaska’s 28 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Prince of Wales-Hyder County at 211 frost-free days — 1 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.

Across Alaska’s 28 counties the frost-free season runs from 85 days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 days in Sitka County — a spread of 155 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Alaska county sees 147 frost-free days, which is 63 days short of what statice needs — so on a typical Alaska parcel this is a transplant-or-protect crop, not a direct-sow one.

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"). Statice's 210-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

Statice 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, statice can only work that bloom inside Alaska's frost window — roughly 147 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 16 - May 15) and closing at the first (Sep 24 - Oct 29), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020.

Alaska Cooperative Extension

For Alaska-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for statice, the canonical source is UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Statice native to Alaska?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Statice as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Alaska's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Alaska natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

Looking for plants that belong here? The Alaska 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 Statice in Alaska

When can I plant Statice in Alaska?

Alaska's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Statice overwinters only from USDA zone 8 and warmer, and Alaska runs as cold as zone 1, so it does not survive winter in the ground here — the question for Alaska growers is how to carry it through winter under cover, not which week to plant it.

What hardiness zone is Statice grown in across Alaska?

Alaska spans USDA hardiness zones 1a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Statice carries a range of zones 2-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical Alaska site have?

A typical Alaska site sees ~147 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Statice needs 210+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.

Is Statice native to Alaska?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Statice as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Alaska's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Alaska natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

How should I amend the soil for Statice in Alaska?

Statice prefers pH 5.5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Alaska soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.

Will Statice actually grow on my specific land in Alaska?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores statice against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Alaska

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores statice against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that Alaska statice averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Alaska averages 147Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Alaska — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Alaska statice average

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