Conditional — Some Areas
tamarack (zones 2-5) reaches only part of Maryland (5b-8a): zone 5 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Tamarack in Maryland — the short answer
Tamarack in Maryland: hardy in zones 2–5, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 2-5
- Rated hardy to zone 2 by University of Minnesota Extension (trees.umn.edu), checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: University of Minnesota Extension (trees.umn.edu) (read 2026-10-05).
- Maryland zones
- 5b-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 18 - Mar 29 – Nov 11 - Nov 27
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 190 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
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.
Maryland spans zones 5b-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 tamarack 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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Maryland is not one climate
Maryland’s winter-low ladder runs across 24 counties, from zone 6 in Garrett County to zone 8 in Talbot County. That is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between tamarack overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 24 counties runs 7.5–7.5 zones, with a median of 7.5 zones — a 2-zone span end to end.
Measured across 24 Maryland 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 Tamarack Stands in Maryland
Tamarack is rated for zones 2–5 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. No Maryland county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Maryland winters, not about tamarack.
Above the zone 5 ceiling
24 counties
- Garrett County · zone 6a
- Allegany County · zone 7a
- Carroll County · zone 7a
3 of 24 shown
Warmer than the zone 5 end of its range.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Tamarack Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-5
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 60 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: Low
Maryland Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 18 - Mar 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 11 - Nov 27
- Annual Rainfall: 36-48 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay, Sandy loam (Eastern Shore)
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-5)
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 Tamarack in Maryland
The frost window
Across Maryland, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 18 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 11 and Nov 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 227-day window you can count on — up to 254 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
Maryland runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for tamarack, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether tamarack is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Maryland; 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
The zone check says tamarack survives winter in part of Maryland, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Tamarack requires ~1000 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Maryland typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
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
Tamarack tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4-7.8) — 3.8 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Maryland. 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 4.5 and 7.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Maryland soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Maryland 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. Maryland soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Tamarack in Maryland
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Maryland growers also need to think about:
Heavy Piedmont clay drains poorly
Humidity and heat in summer promote disease
Deer pressure in suburban areas is extreme
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Maryland grower, not just tamarack — is covered on the Maryland growing guide.
Where in Maryland Tamarack Is Zone-Hardy
Tamarack is rated for USDA zones 2–5. Every Maryland county sits above it. Even Garrett County, the state’s coldest at zone 6a, is milder than the plant’s zone 5 ceiling — the constraint here is winter chill it will not get, not cold it cannot take.
Across those 24 counties Maryland’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Garrett County to zone 8a in Talbot County — 2 USDA zones of spread, which is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band tamarack needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Tamarack’s zone 2–5 band: Rated hardy to zone 2 by University of Minnesota Extension (trees.umn.edu), checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: University of Minnesota Extension (trees.umn.edu) (read 2026-10-05).. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Maryland Cooperative Extension
For Maryland-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for tamarack, the canonical source is University of Maryland Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Tamarack native to Maryland?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) records Tamarack in Maryland, Kew's Plants of the World Online (WCVP) lists Maryland in its native range, and NatureServe Explorer's state data mark it native there. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Native-range status: Kew, Plants of the World Online — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), release 2026-06-04, licensed CC BY 3.0. State native/exotic flags: NatureServe Explorer, CC BY, accessed 2026-10-19. powo.science.kew.org explorer.natureserve.org
Common Questions About Growing Tamarack in Maryland
When can I plant Tamarack in Maryland?
Maryland's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 18 and Mar 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 11 and Nov 27 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Tamarack, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Maryland 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 Tamarack grown in across Maryland?
Maryland spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Tamarack carries a range of zones 2-5, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Maryland site have?
A typical Maryland site sees ~238 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Tamarack needs 100+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Tamarack native to Maryland?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) records Tamarack in Maryland, Kew's Plants of the World Online (WCVP) lists Maryland in its native range, and NatureServe Explorer's state data mark it native there. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Tamarack in Maryland?
Tamarack tolerates pH 4-7.8 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That is a 3.8-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Maryland site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Tamarack actually grow on my specific land in Maryland?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores tamarack 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 Maryland
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores tamarack against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Maryland tamarack averages can't show:
We read public map data around Maryland — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Maryland tamarack average
Explore More
Growing guides for tamarack
Explore Maryland county by county
Maryland carries 24 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for tamarack there:
Where else tamarack grows
Tamarack's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Maryland 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 Maryland
Maryland has a growing page for 1,011 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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