u'ula (Intsia bijuga), photographi

Can I Grow Uula in Louisiana?

USDA Zones 8b-10b · Plant zone range 10-12

Conditional — Some Areas

u'ula (zones 10-12) reaches only part of Louisiana (8b-10b): zone 10 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.

Uula in Louisiana — the short answer

Uula in Louisiana: hardy in zones 10–12, full sun, against a state median of ~298 frost-free days.

Plant zones
10-12
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
Louisiana zones
8b-10b
USDA PHZM 2023
Frost window
Jan 30 - Feb 17 – Nov 30 - Dec 8
NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
Shortest county season
265 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.

Score your parcel · free

Your yard isn't the whole zone.

Louisiana spans zones 8b-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 uula 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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Louisiana is not one climate

Louisiana’s winter-low ladder runs across 64 counties, from zone 8.5 in Bienville County to zone 10 in Plaquemines County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between uula overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.

8.5 zonesBienville County10 zonesPlaquemines County

The middle half of 64 counties runs 8.59 zones, with a median of 9 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.

Measured across 64 Louisiana 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 Louisiana Fits Best

Uula is rated for zones 1012 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. Against Louisiana’s 64 counties that band holds in 1 of them, and the line runs at Plaquemines County (zone 10a), the coldest county still inside it.

Inside zones 10–12

1 county

0 of 1 shown

Below the zone 10 floor

63 counties

3 of 63 shown

Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.

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.

Even within Louisiana's zones 8b-10b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for uula (USDA PHZM 2023):

Zone Comparison

Uula Needs

  • USDA Zones: 10-12
  • Frost-Free Days: 240+
  • Sun: Full Sun

Louisiana Has

  • USDA Zones: 8b-10b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 30 - Feb 17
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 30 - Dec 8
  • Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
  • Common Soils: Alluvial clay, Muck, Sandy loam

Plant Zone Range (zones 10-12)

10a
12b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 5.07.0

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 Uula in Louisiana

The frost window

Across Louisiana, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 286-day window you can count on — up to 312 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

Louisiana runs as cold as USDA zone 8, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for uula, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether uula is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Louisiana; 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 uula survives winter in part of Louisiana, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.

Frost-free days

Uula wants 240+ frost-free days; a typical Louisiana site sees ~298 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.

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

Uula likes near-neutral soil (pH 5-7). That's the common-ground band across Louisiana's alluvial clay and muck — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Louisiana soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells). If your Louisiana 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. Louisiana soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

What Else to Consider for Uula in Louisiana

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

Extreme humidity and rainfall promote rot and fungal diseases

Poor drainage in delta and coastal areas

Hurricane damage risk from June through November

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

Timing shifts within Louisiana

Uula needs about 240 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Claiborne County — Louisiana’s shortest season at 265 frost-free days — clears that by 25 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Louisiana. What varies is your own parcel.

Across Louisiana’s 64 counties the frost-free season runs from 265 days in Claiborne County to 365 days in Plaquemines County — a spread of 100 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Louisiana county sees 298 frost-free days, leaving uula about 58 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"). Uula's 240-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

Uula draws honeybees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, uula can only work that bloom inside Louisiana's frost window — roughly 298 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Jan 30 - Feb 17) and closing at the first (Nov 30 - Dec 8), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Louisiana Cooperative Extension

For Louisiana-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for uula, the canonical source is LSU AgCenter. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Common Questions About Growing Uula in Louisiana

When can I plant Uula in Louisiana?

Louisiana's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Jan 30 and Feb 17, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 30 and Dec 8 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Uula, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Louisiana 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 Uula grown in across Louisiana?

Louisiana spans USDA hardiness zones 8b-10b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Uula carries a range of zones 10-12, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical Louisiana site have?

A typical Louisiana site sees ~298 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Uula needs 240+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.

How should I amend the soil for Uula in Louisiana?

Uula prefers pH 5-7 and poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Louisiana soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.

Will Uula actually grow on my specific land in Louisiana?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores uula 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 Louisiana

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores uula against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that Louisiana uula averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Louisiana averages 298Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Louisiana uula average

Explore More

Explore Louisiana county by county

Louisiana carries 64 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for uula there:

Where else uula grows

Uula's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Louisiana has a growing page for 1,030 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.

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