Virginia Creeper is a perennial grown for its green blooms, which open in late spring and return year after year. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9, shrugs off deer and shrugs off dry spells. Its late spring flowers are a modest draw for honeybees and native bees.
Virginia Creeper — the short answer
Virginia Creeper: grown in zones 3–9, part sun, pH 5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- 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
- Soil pH
- 5–7.5
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Which pests actually threaten virginia creeper where you grow?
Japanese beetle is only documented in part of the country, so the answer depends on where you plant. Enter your location and we'll tell you which one reaches your land — and the move that beats it.
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What Virginia Creeper is
Virginia Creeper grows as a perennial and reaches around a foot at maturity. It blooms green in late spring. It's also deer-resistant.
How to grow Virginia Creeper
Virginia Creeper grows in USDA zones 3 through 9. Virginia Creeper does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 800 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 100 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7.5
Growable Ground Plant Database
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
GDD Required
800+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
1 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
100+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant virginia creeper in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Virginia Creeper prefers pH 5 to 7.5 (Growable Ground Plant Database). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut virginia creeper blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Virginia Creeper thrives
Virginia Creeper is hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–9 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 42 outright and splits 9 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–9·Where Virginia Creeper growsOpen map →
Where Virginia Creeper stands, state by state
Virginia Creeper is rated for zones 3–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 42 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 9 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–9
42 states
3 of 42 shown
The line runs through
9 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Nevada · zones 4a-10a
3 of 9 shown
Virginia Creeper’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Virginia Creeper
Growing guides for virginia creeper
In rotation planning, virginia creeper counts as a Other — beds recover best when other crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
One caution for pet owners — virginia creeper is toxic to dogs and cats (moderate severity). Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)
Virginia Creeper offers low value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Your land is one point inside Virginia Creeper's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Virginia Creeper will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether virginia creeper actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Virginia Creeper
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Virginia Creeper in my zone?
Virginia Creeper grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Virginia Creeper?
Virginia Creeper is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Virginia Creeper need?
Virginia Creeper does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Virginia Creeper need?
Virginia Creeper prefers soil pH 5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (Growable Ground Plant Database). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Virginia Creeper attract pollinators?
Yes — virginia creeper's flowers are a modest nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.)
Is Virginia Creeper safe for pets?
Virginia Creeper is toxic to pets (dogs,cats) with moderate severity. Keep it out of reach, and call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 in an emergency. (Source: ASPCA.)