Yes — Strong Match
sweet alyssum is grown in zones 5-9, which covers every zone Virginia contains (5b-8b). Whether the season is long enough is the question that remains.
Sweet Alyssum in Virginia — the short answer
Sweet Alyssum in Virginia: grown in zones 5–9, full sun, against a state median of ~224 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 5-9
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Virginia zones
- 5b-8b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 22 - Apr 2 – Nov 2 - Nov 17
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 176 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 55 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.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Virginia spans zones 5b-8b, 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 sweet alyssum 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.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Virginia is not one climate
A single Virginia answer averages 133 counties whose growing seasons are 113 days apart — from 176 frost-free days in Highland County to 289 in Hampton County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what sweet alyssum can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 133 counties runs 214–240 days, with a median of 224 days — a 113-day span end to end.
Measured across 133 Virginia 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 Virginia Fits Best
Even within Virginia's zones 5b-8b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for sweet alyssum (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Sweet Alyssum Needs
- USDA Zones: 5-9
- Frost-Free Days: 40+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 6 in 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: MediumWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Virginia Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 22 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 2 - Nov 17
- Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Silt loam, Sandy loam (Tidewater)
Plant Zone Range (zones 5-9)
Preferred Soil pH
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 Sweet Alyssum in Virginia
The frost window
Across Virginia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 214-day window you can count on — up to 240 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 sweet alyssum goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 4 weeks ahead, so counting back from Virginia's late-side last freeze of Apr 2 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Winter standing
Virginia runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for sweet alyssum, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether sweet alyssum is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Virginia; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
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
Sweet Alyssum is grown in zones 5–9, which covers every zone Virginia contains (5b-8b). It is grown as a summer crop, so season length decides it here. Virginia's typical season runs ~224 frost-free days against the ~40 sweet alyssum needs.
Frost-free days
Sweet Alyssum wants 40+ frost-free days; a typical Virginia site sees ~224 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Sweet Alyssum needs ~600 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~3662 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Virginia'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
Sweet Alyssum likes near-neutral soil (pH 6-7). That's the common-ground band across Virginia's red clay (piedmont) and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Virginia 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 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. Virginia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Sweet Alyssum in Virginia
The zone range tells you where sweet alyssum is grown — but Virginia growers also need to think about:
Heavy Piedmont red clay requires amendment
Humidity and heat in summer promote disease
Deer pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Virginia grower, not just sweet alyssum — is covered on the Virginia growing guide.
Timing shifts within Virginia
Sweet Alyssum needs about 40 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Highland County — Virginia’s shortest season at 176 frost-free days — clears that by 136 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Virginia. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Virginia’s 133 counties the frost-free season runs from 176 days in Highland County to 289 days in Hampton County — a spread of 113 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Virginia county sees 224 frost-free days, leaving sweet alyssum about 184 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
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"). Sweet Alyssum's 40-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
Sweet Alyssum draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (high value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, sweet alyssum can only work that bloom inside Virginia's frost window — roughly 224 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 22 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 2 - Nov 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
For Virginia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for sweet alyssum, the canonical source is Virginia Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Sweet Alyssum native to Virginia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sweet Alyssum as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Virginia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Virginia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Virginia growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Virginia 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 Sweet Alyssum in Virginia
When can I plant Sweet Alyssum in Virginia?
Virginia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Sweet Alyssum, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Virginia and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Sweet Alyssum grown in across Virginia?
Virginia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Sweet Alyssum carries a range of zones 5-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Virginia site have?
A typical Virginia site sees ~224 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Sweet Alyssum needs 40+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Sweet Alyssum native to Virginia?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sweet Alyssum as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Virginia's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Virginia natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Sweet Alyssum in Virginia?
Sweet Alyssum prefers pH 6-7 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across Virginia soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Sweet Alyssum actually grow on my specific land in Virginia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores sweet alyssum against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Virginia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores sweet alyssum against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Virginia sweet alyssum averages can't show:
We read public map data around Virginia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Virginia sweet alyssum average
Explore More
Growing guides for sweet alyssum
Explore Virginia county by county
Virginia carries 133 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for sweet alyssum there:
Where else sweet alyssum grows
Sweet Alyssum's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Virginia 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 Virginia
Virginia has a growing page for 1,011 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
Last updated: