Generally — Most Areas
yew (zones 4-7) suits most of Oklahoma (6b-8b) — zones 6-7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Oklahoma spans zones 6b-8b, 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
Oklahoma Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-8b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 15 - Mar 26
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 9 - Nov 14
- Annual Rainfall: 15-56 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay, Sandy loam, Prairie 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 Oklahoma
The frost window
Across Oklahoma, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 15 and Mar 26, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 9 and Nov 14 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 228-day window you can count on — up to 244 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
Oklahoma runs as cold as USDA zone 6, 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 Oklahoma; 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 Oklahoma, 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). Oklahoma typically banks ~1955 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 Oklahoma — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 4-7 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 6b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 15 - Mar 26 to Nov 9 - Nov 14 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Yew in Oklahoma
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Oklahoma growers also need to think about:
Extreme weather variability (tornadoes, ice storms, drought)
Red clay soils drain poorly in central OK
Low western rainfall requires irrigation
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Oklahoma grower, not just yew — is covered on the Oklahoma growing guide.
Where in Oklahoma Yew Is Zone-Hardy
Yew is rated for USDA zones 4–7. 27 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Beaver County at zone 6b. 50 counties sit above its zone 7 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Oklahoma decides this one.
Across those 77 counties Oklahoma’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6b in Beaver County to zone 8a in Tillman County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°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. Cimarron County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 13, while Choctaw County is clear by Mar 1 — 43 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 Oklahoma Fits Best
Even within Oklahoma's zones 6b-8b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for yew (USDA PHZM 2023):
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension
For Oklahoma-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for yew, the canonical source is Oklahoma State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Yew in Oklahoma
When can I plant Yew in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 15 and Mar 26, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 9 and Nov 14 (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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma?
Oklahoma spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-8b (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 Oklahoma site have?
A typical Oklahoma site sees ~237 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 Oklahoma?
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 Oklahoma
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 Oklahoma yew averages can't show:
We read public map data around Oklahoma — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Oklahoma yew average
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