Generally — Most Areas
yew (zones 4-7) suits most of Wyoming (3b-6a) — zones 4-6 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Wyoming spans zones 3b-6a, 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
Wyoming Has
- USDA Zones: 3b-6a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): May 4 - May 13
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 30 - Oct 7
- Annual Rainfall: 6-20 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Clay, Alkaline
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 Wyoming
The frost window
Across Wyoming, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 4 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 30 and Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 140-day window you can count on — up to 156 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
Wyoming 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 Wyoming; 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 Wyoming, 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). Wyoming 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 Wyoming — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Generally — Most Areas
- Plant Zones: 4-7 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 3b-6a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about May 4 - May 13 to Sep 30 - Oct 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
What Else to Consider for Yew in Wyoming
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Wyoming growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (60-90 frost-free days)
Very low rainfall requires irrigation
Persistent high winds desiccate and damage plants
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Wyoming grower, not just yew — is covered on the Wyoming growing guide.
Where in Wyoming Yew Is Zone-Hardy
Yew is rated for USDA zones 4–7. Every one of Wyoming’s 23 counties sits inside that band — from Albany County at zone 4b to Uinta County at zone 5b — so winter cold is not what decides this plant anywhere in the state. What is left to vary is your own parcel: slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from the county figure.
Across those 23 counties Wyoming’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 4b in Albany County to zone 5b in Uinta 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. Teton County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Jun 16, while Big Horn County is clear by Apr 26 — 51 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 Wyoming Fits Best
Even within Wyoming's zones 3b-6a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for yew (USDA PHZM 2023):
Wyoming Cooperative Extension
For Wyoming-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for yew, the canonical source is University of Wyoming Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Yew in Wyoming
When can I plant Yew in Wyoming?
Wyoming's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between May 4 and May 13, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 30 and Oct 7 (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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming?
Wyoming spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-6a (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 Wyoming site have?
A typical Wyoming site sees ~151 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 Wyoming?
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 Wyoming
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 Wyoming yew averages can't show:
We read public map data around Wyoming — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Wyoming yew average
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