statice (Limonium sinuatum), photographi

Can I Grow Statice in South Carolina?

USDA Zones 7a-9b · Plant zone range 2-11

Yes — Strong Match

statice is grown in zones 2-11, which covers every zone South Carolina contains (7a-9b). Whether the season is long enough is the question that remains.

Statice in South Carolina — the short answer

Statice in South Carolina: grown in zones 2–11, full sun.

Plant zones
2-11
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 8a–10b
South Carolina zones
7a-9b
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Feb 27 - Mar 12 – Nov 23 - Dec 1
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
237 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.

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Your yard isn't the whole zone.

South Carolina spans zones 7a-9b, 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.

We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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South Carolina is not one climate

A single South Carolina answer averages 46 counties whose growing seasons are 83 days apart — from 237 frost-free days in Chester County to 320 in Charleston County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what statice can finish before the first hard freeze.

237 daysChester County320 daysCharleston County

The middle half of 46 counties runs 256–277 days, with a median of 264 days — a 83-day span end to end.

Measured across 46 South Carolina counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 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 South Carolina Fits Best

Even within South Carolina's zones 7a-9b, 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
  • Sun: Full Sun
  • Mature size: 2 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
  • Picking window: ~90 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
  • Drought tolerance: HighWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

South Carolina Has

  • USDA Zones: 7a-9b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 27 - Mar 12
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 23 - Dec 1
  • Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
  • Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal), Alluvial

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 5.5 – 8.0

We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

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 South Carolina

The frost window

Across South Carolina, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 27 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 23 and Dec 1 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 256-day window you can count on — up to 277 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 South Carolina's late-side last freeze of Mar 12 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), and South Carolina runs as cold as zone 7, 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 South Carolina — 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

Statice is grown in zones 2–11, which covers every zone South Carolina contains (7a-9b). It overwinters in the ground only in zone 8 and warmer (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox). South Carolina's typical season runs ~265 frost-free days against the ~210 statice needs.

Growing degree days

Statice needs ~900 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~5233 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so South Carolina'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 South Carolina's red clay (piedmont) and sandy loam (coastal) — 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 South Carolina soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your South Carolina site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

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. South Carolina 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 South Carolina

The zone range tells you where statice is grown — but South Carolina growers also need to think about:

Red Piedmont clay requires amendment for drainage

High heat and humidity promote diseases

Hurricane risk along the coast

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

Where in South Carolina Statice Is Zone-Hardy

Statice is rated for USDA zones 2–11. Every one of South Carolina’s 46 counties sits inside that band — from Abbeville County at zone 8a to Jasper County at zone 9a — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.

Across those 46 counties South Carolina’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 8a in Abbeville County to zone 9a in Jasper County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.

The planting window moves with it. Chester County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Mar 22, while Charleston County is clear by Feb 1 — 49 days apart. Set statice out on your county’s date, not the state’s.

County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Statice’s zone 2–11 band: Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 8a–10b. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Statice draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, statice can only work that bloom inside South Carolina's frost window — roughly 265 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 27 - Mar 12) and closing at the first (Nov 23 - Dec 1), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.

South Carolina Cooperative Extension

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

Is Statice native to South Carolina?

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

Looking for plants that belong here? The South Carolina growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in South Carolina and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.

State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.

Common Questions About Growing Statice in South Carolina

When can I plant Statice in South Carolina?

South Carolina's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 27 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 23 and Dec 1 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Statice overwinters only from USDA zone 8 and warmer, and South Carolina runs as cold as zone 7, so it does not survive winter in the ground here — the question for South Carolina growers is how to carry it through winter under cover, not which week to plant it.

What hardiness zone is Statice grown in across South Carolina?

South Carolina spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-9b (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 South Carolina site have?

A typical South Carolina site sees ~265 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 South Carolina?

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

How should I amend the soil for Statice in South Carolina?

Statice prefers pH 5.5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across South Carolina 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 South Carolina?

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

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Check your specific parcel in South Carolina

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — South Carolina averages 265Your sun & shade

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

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

Explore More

Explore South Carolina county by county

South Carolina carries 46 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for statice there:

Where else statice grows

Statice's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to South Carolina in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.

More to grow in South Carolina

South Carolina has a growing page for 1,029 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.

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