statice (Limonium sinuatum), photographi

Can I Grow Statice in Idaho?

USDA Zones 3b-8a · Plant zone range 2-11

Yes — Strong Match

statice (zones 2-11) covers every zone Idaho contains (3b-8a), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.

Statice in Idaho — the short answer

Statice in Idaho: hardy in zones 2–11, full sun, against a state median of ~160 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
Idaho zones
3b-8a
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Apr 26 - May 17 – Oct 1 - Oct 17
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
94 days
NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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.

Idaho spans zones 3b-8a, 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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Idaho is not one climate

Idaho’s winter-low ladder runs across 44 counties, from zone 5 in Bear Lake County to zone 7 in Payette County. That is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between statice overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.

5 zonesBear Lake County7 zonesPayette County

The middle half of 44 counties runs 5.56.5 zones, with a median of 6 zones — a 2-zone span end to end.

Measured across 44 Idaho counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. 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 Idaho Fits Best

Even within Idaho's zones 3b-8a, 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

Idaho Has

  • USDA Zones: 3b-8a
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 26 - May 17
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 1 - Oct 17
  • Annual Rainfall: 8-35 inches
  • Common Soils: Volcanic ash, Silt loam, Sandy loam

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 Idaho

The frost window

Across Idaho, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 26 and May 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 1 and Oct 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 137-day window you can count on — up to 174 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 Idaho's late-side last freeze of May 17 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 Idaho runs as cold as zone 3, 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 Idaho — 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 here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.

Frost-free days

Statice wants 210+ frost-free days; a typical Idaho site sees ~160 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020) — 50 days short of what it needs. A typical Idaho 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.

Growing degree days

Statice needs ~900 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~1187 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Idaho's typical season clears that easily.

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

Statice likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-8). That's the common-ground band across Idaho's volcanic ash and silt loam — 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 Idaho soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Idaho 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. Idaho 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 Idaho

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

Short growing season at higher elevations

Arid conditions require irrigation in most of the state

Cold winter snaps can reach -30F in mountain valleys

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

Timing shifts within Idaho

Statice needs about 210 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 1 of Idaho’s 44 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Nez Perce County at 216 frost-free days — 6 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.

Across Idaho’s 44 counties the frost-free season runs from 94 days in Valley County to 216 days in Nez Perce County — a spread of 122 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Idaho county sees 160 frost-free days, which is 50 days short of what statice needs — so on a typical Idaho 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 Idaho's frost window — roughly 160 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 26 - May 17) and closing at the first (Oct 1 - Oct 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Idaho Cooperative Extension

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

Is Statice native to Idaho?

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

Looking for plants that belong here? The Idaho 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 Idaho

When can I plant Statice in Idaho?

Idaho's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 26 and May 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 1 and Oct 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Statice overwinters only from USDA zone 8 and warmer, and Idaho runs as cold as zone 3, so it does not survive winter in the ground here — the question for Idaho growers is how to carry it through winter under cover, not which week to plant it.

What hardiness zone is Statice grown in across Idaho?

Idaho spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-8a (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 Idaho site have?

A typical Idaho site sees ~160 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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 Idaho?

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

How should I amend the soil for Statice in Idaho?

Statice prefers pH 5.5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Idaho 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 Idaho?

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 Idaho

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 Idaho statice averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Idaho averages 160Your sun & shade

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

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

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