Generally — Most Areas
yew (zones 4-7) suits most of North Dakota (3b-4b) — zone 4 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
North Dakota spans zones 3b-4b, 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 yew against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Yew Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-7
- Mature size: 12 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Medium
North Dakota Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-4b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 30 - May 6
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 4 - Oct 9
- Annual Rainfall: 14-22 inches
- Common Soils: Prairie loam, Clay (Red River Valley), Sandy loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-7)
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Yew in North Dakota
The frost window
Across North Dakota, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 30 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 4 and Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 151-day window you can count on — up to 162 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
North Dakota runs as cold as USDA zone 3, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for yew, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether yew is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within North Dakota; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. 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 yew survives winter in part of North Dakota, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Yew requires ~400 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). North Dakota 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.
Yew in North Dakota — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 4-7 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-4b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 30 - May 6 to Oct 4 - Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Yew in North Dakota
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but North Dakota growers also need to think about:
Extreme cold (-40F) and short growing season
Persistent wind desiccates plants
Low rainfall in western ND
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every North Dakota grower, not just yew — is covered on the North Dakota growing guide.
Where in North Dakota Yew Is Zone-Hardy
Yew is rated for USDA zones 4–7. 47 of North Dakota’s 53 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Barnes County at zone 4a. 6 counties sit below the plant’s zone 4 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in North Dakota decides this one.
Across those 53 counties North Dakota’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 3b in Bottineau County to zone 4b in Stutsman County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Bottineau County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about May 9, while Richland County is clear by Apr 23 — 16 days apart. Set yew out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Yew’s zone 4–7 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Where in North Dakota Fits Best
Even within North Dakota's zones 3b-4b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for yew (USDA PHZM 2023):
North Dakota Cooperative Extension
For North Dakota-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for yew, the canonical source is NDSU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Yew in North Dakota
When can I plant Yew in North Dakota?
North Dakota's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 30 and May 6, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 4 and Oct 9 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Yew, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in North Dakota 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 Yew grown in across North Dakota?
North Dakota spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-4b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Yew carries a range of zones 4-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical North Dakota site have?
A typical North Dakota site sees ~157 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Yew should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Will Yew actually grow on my specific land in North Dakota?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores yew 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 North Dakota
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores yew against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that North Dakota yew averages can't show:
We read public map data around North Dakota — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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