Generally — Most Areas
sweet woodruff (zones 4-8) suits most of Texas (6b-10b) — zones 6-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Texas spans zones 6b-10b, 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 woodruff against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Sweet Woodruff Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Sun: Shade
- Mature size: 1 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Texas Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-10b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 10 - Mar 12
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 18 - Dec 4
- Annual Rainfall: 8-56 inches
- Common Soils: Black clay (Blackland Prairie), Sandy loam, Caliche
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Sweet Woodruff in Texas
The frost window
Across Texas, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 10 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 18 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 251-day window you can count on — up to 297 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.
Winter standing
Texas runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for sweet woodruff, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether sweet woodruff is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Texas; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Sweet Woodruff tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.3-8.3) — 4 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Texas. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Texas soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Texas site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Texas soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Sweet Woodruff in Texas — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 4-8 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 6b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Feb 10 - Mar 12 to Nov 18 - Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Sweet Woodruff in Texas
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Texas growers also need to think about:
Extreme heat (100F+ days) stresses many crops from June through September
Rainfall varies dramatically — 8 inches in west TX to 56 inches in east TX
Heavy black clay (Blackland Prairie) is difficult to work and drains poorly
Flash drought conditions can develop rapidly even in wet years
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Texas grower, not just sweet woodruff — is covered on the Texas growing guide.
Where in Texas Sweet Woodruff Is Zone-Hardy
Sweet Woodruff is rated for USDA zones 4–8. 107 of Texas’s 254 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Dallam County at zone 6b. 147 counties sit above its zone 8 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Texas decides this one.
Across those 254 counties Texas’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6b in Dallam County to zone 10a in Willacy County — 3.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 35°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. Dallam County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 12, while Kenedy County is clear by Jan 14 — 88 days apart. Set sweet woodruff 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". Sweet Woodruff’s zone 4–8 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Where in Texas Fits Best
Even within Texas's zones 6b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for sweet woodruff (USDA PHZM 2023):
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Sweet Woodruff draws honeybees and native bees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, sweet woodruff can only work that bloom inside Texas's frost window — roughly 274 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 10 - Mar 12) and closing at the first (Nov 18 - Dec 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Texas Cooperative Extension
For Texas-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for sweet woodruff, the canonical source is Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Sweet Woodruff native to Texas?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sweet Woodruff as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Texas's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Texas natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Texas 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 Sweet Woodruff in Texas
When can I plant Sweet Woodruff in Texas?
Texas's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 10 and Mar 12, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 18 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Sweet Woodruff, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Texas 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 Woodruff grown in across Texas?
Texas spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Sweet Woodruff carries a range of zones 4-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Texas site have?
A typical Texas site sees ~274 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Sweet Woodruff should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Sweet Woodruff native to Texas?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Sweet Woodruff as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Texas's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Texas natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Sweet Woodruff in Texas?
Sweet Woodruff tolerates pH 4.3-8.3 and well (dry spells) drainage (Growable Ground Plant Database). That is a 4-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Texas site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Sweet Woodruff actually grow on my specific land in Texas?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores sweet woodruff against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Texas
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores sweet woodruff against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Texas sweet woodruff averages can't show:
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