Generally — Most Areas
wild quinine (zones 4-8) suits most of Alabama (7b-9b) — zones 7-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Wild Quinine in Alabama — the short answer
Wild Quinine in Alabama: hardy in zones 4–8, full sun, against a state median of ~266 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 4-8
- 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
- Alabama zones
- 7b-9b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 24 - Mar 16 – Nov 15 - Nov 28
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 225 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.
Alabama spans zones 7b-9b, 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 wild quinine against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Alabama is not one climate
Alabama’s winter-low ladder runs across 67 counties, from zone 7.5 in Jackson County to zone 9 in Mobile County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between wild quinine overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 67 counties runs 8–8.5 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 67 Alabama 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 Alabama Fits Best
Wild Quinine is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Against Alabama’s 67 counties that band holds in 33 of them, and the line runs at Jackson County (zone 7b), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 4–8
33 counties
- Lauderdale County · zone 7b
- Marion County · zone 7b
- Winston County · zone 7b
3 of 33 shown
Above the zone 8 ceiling
34 counties
- Autauga County · zone 8b
- Barbour County · zone 8b
- Bullock County · zone 8b
3 of 34 shown
Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it.
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 Alabama's zones 7b-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for wild quinine (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Wild Quinine Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Frost-Free Days: 90+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 4 ft tall
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: High
Alabama Has
- USDA Zones: 7b-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 24 - Mar 16
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 15 - Nov 28
- Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay, Sandy loam, Alluvial
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
Preferred Soil pH
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 Wild Quinine in Alabama
The frost window
Across Alabama, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 24 and Mar 16, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 15 and Nov 28 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 244-day window you can count on — up to 277 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
Alabama runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for wild quinine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether wild quinine is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Alabama; 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 wild quinine survives winter in part of Alabama, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Wild Quinine wants 90+ frost-free days; a typical Alabama site sees ~266 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
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
Wild Quinine tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5.5-8.5) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Alabama. 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 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Alabama soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry). If your Alabama 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. Alabama soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Wild Quinine in Alabama
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alabama growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Piedmont region
High humidity promotes fungal diseases
Fire ants are a persistent garden pest
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alabama grower, not just wild quinine — is covered on the Alabama growing guide.
Timing shifts within Alabama
Wild Quinine needs about 90 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Marion County — Alabama’s shortest season at 225 frost-free days — clears that by 135 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Alabama. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Alabama’s 67 counties the frost-free season runs from 225 days in Marion County to 297 days in Mobile County — a spread of 72 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Alabama county sees 266 frost-free days, leaving wild quinine about 176 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"). Wild Quinine's 90-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
Wild Quinine draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, wild quinine can only work that bloom inside Alabama's frost window — roughly 266 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 24 - Mar 16) and closing at the first (Nov 15 - Nov 28), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Alabama Cooperative Extension
For Alabama-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for wild quinine, the canonical source is Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Wild Quinine native to Alabama?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Wild Quinine as native to Alabama. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Wild Quinine in Alabama
When can I plant Wild Quinine in Alabama?
Alabama's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 24 and Mar 16, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 15 and Nov 28 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Wild Quinine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Alabama 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 Wild Quinine grown in across Alabama?
Alabama spans USDA hardiness zones 7b-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Wild Quinine 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 Alabama site have?
A typical Alabama site sees ~266 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Wild Quinine needs 90+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Wild Quinine native to Alabama?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Wild Quinine as native to Alabama. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Wild Quinine in Alabama?
Wild Quinine tolerates pH 5.5-8.5 and well (dry spells), excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Alabama site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Wild Quinine actually grow on my specific land in Alabama?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores wild quinine 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 Alabama
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores wild quinine against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Alabama wild quinine averages can't show:
We read public map data around Alabama — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Alabama wild quinine average
Explore More
Growing guides for wild quinine
Explore Alabama county by county
Alabama carries 67 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for wild quinine there:
Where else wild quinine grows
Wild Quinine's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Alabama 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 Alabama
Alabama has a growing page for 1,034 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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