Xeranthemum is an annual grown for its blooms, which open from summer through fall. Season length, not a winter zone, decides where it grows. Notably, it shrugs off deer, shrugs off dry spells, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies.
Xeranthemum — the short answer
Xeranthemum: grown in zones 3–11, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5, about 85 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- Grown as an annual — see the growing season
- Growing season, not a hardiness zone
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Sun
- Full Sun
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Days to Maturity
- 85 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 32°F
- 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 — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Xeranthemum on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether xeranthemum actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score xeranthemum against your land's real conditions.
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What Xeranthemum is
Xeranthemum grows as an annual and reaches around 2.5 feet at maturity. It blooms from summer through fall. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Life cycle, mature height, bloom period, deer resistance and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Xeranthemum
Season length, not a winter zone, decides where xeranthemum grows. Xeranthemum does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,200 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 60 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
Grown as an annual — see the growing season
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sun
Full Sun
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Days to Maturity
85 days
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
1200+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
2.5 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Frost-Free Days
60+
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 xeranthemum in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Match the soil
Xeranthemum prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while xeranthemum establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Harvest at its peak
Cut xeranthemum blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Xeranthemum thrives
Season length, not a winter zone, decides where xeranthemum grows. 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 3–11 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 48 outright and splits 3 more down the middle.
Zones 3–11·Hardiness bandOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Xeranthemum stands, state by state
Xeranthemum is rated for zones 3–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 48 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 3 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–11
48 states
3 of 48 shown
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 Xeranthemum
Growing guides for xeranthemum
Related plants in annual flower
Good to know
Xeranthemum offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Your land is one point inside Xeranthemum'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 Xeranthemum will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether xeranthemum actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled 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 Xeranthemum
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
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Xeranthemum in my zone?
Xeranthemum is grown as an annual, so a hardiness zone does not decide it — its growing season follows your last and first frost dates. Soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Xeranthemum?
Most growers plant xeranthemum after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 60-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Xeranthemum need?
Xeranthemum needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Xeranthemum need?
Xeranthemum prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Xeranthemum attract pollinators?
Yes — xeranthemum's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees, native bees, and butterflies. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Keep exploring Xeranthemum
Xeranthemum state by state
Every state xeranthemum's zone reaches — 16 link straight to that state's xeranthemum growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.