Cold hardiness

Future

2050

2100

These values are location-based: this location's current hardiness is the baseline, and the 2050 value is a projected future climate for this same location.

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Published baseline for this location from 1991-2020.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Won't grow here

2050

Zone 7a

Plotwright

Projected zone for this same location in 2050 (2041-2070) using SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry).

Won't grow here

In plain terms: This location is in Zone 6b today. Its hardiness profile is cold winters, and coldest nights are typically around -3°F. By 2050, the projected hardiness zone is Zone 7a based on SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry). That is a +0.5-zone shift from Zone 6b to Zone 7a by 2050.

✕

Out of range today and still out of range in 2050.

Heat tolerance

Future

2050

2100

Heat tolerance values are location-based too: heat days today are observed at this site, and the 2050 value projects this same location under a future climate.

Loading AHS heat-zone data for this location...

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 35 ecoregions — 29 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today · 5 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

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Arizona Mountains forests

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Atlantic coastal pine barrens

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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

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Central-Southern Cascades Forests

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Chilean Matorral

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Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

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Eastern Canadian Forest-Boreal transition

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What it needs

Conditions

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Spacing

120"

Habit

Vigorous deciduous woody climbing vine, trained on a sturdy trellis or arbor

Care tips

•

Build a sturdy trellis, arbor, or pergola before planting — a mature vine is heavy and very vigorous.

•

Plant at least one male pollinizer near your female plants or you will get little to no fruit.

•

Site away from frost pockets: young spring shoots and early-fall fruit are both frost-tender.

Lifecycle

Planting

Plant in average, medium-moisture, well-drained soil in full sun (tolerates light shade). Provide a sturdy trellis, arbor, or fence — the vine is vigorous and heavy at maturity. Winter-hardy only to about Zone 8, so it cannot be grown reliably in colder climates (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder).

Transplanting

Establish young plants on their permanent support; the vigorous root system and woody framework make established vines difficult to relocate.

Early growth

Train canes to the support as they extend and keep moisture even. Young spring shoots are very frost-tender and a late frost can damage the plant (NC State Plant Toolbox).

Maturity

Mature vines may need frequent pruning to manage their vigor (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder). Flowers form on year-old wood in late spring; fuzzy brown fruit ripens in early fall and is ready to eat when slightly soft.

Propagation

Commercial cultivars are propagated vegetatively (cuttings/grafting) to keep the desired sex and fruit quality; seedlings are variable and of unknown sex until they flower.

Pollination

Dioecious — needs male pollinizer

Dioecious — male and female flowers are on separate plants, so a male pollinizer must be grown with female plants for fruit to set (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder; NC State Plant Toolbox). The cream flowers offer pollen rather than nectar and are insect-pollinated, with bees noted as pollinators by NC State.

Plants don't grow alone

Pollen forage

Bee

European honeybee (Apis mellifera)

The NC State Plant Toolbox notes bees pollinate the plant and lists it as attracting pollinators; the pollen-only cream flowers are worked by honey bees, which growers commonly use to pollinate commercial plantings.

For people

Edible

Grown commercially worldwide for its fuzzy brown edible fruits; the tart-sweet flesh ripens in early fall and is eaten raw or added to salads (Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder; NC State Plant Toolbox).

Native range

AHS heat range

6-11

Climate notes

•

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Actinidia deliciosa for USDA zones 8 to 9 in full sun with medium moisture and well-drained soil, native to China, and notes it is only winter-hardy to Zone 8 (so it cannot be grown successfully in the colder St. Louis area).

•

The NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists a slightly wider USDA range of 7a-9b for Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, but cautions the plant is susceptible to cold: spring young shoots are very frost-tender, a late frost can damage the plant, and an early frost can damage unharvested fall fruit.

•

Not native to North America (native range: China per both sources) — grown here as a cultivated fruiting vine, not a habitat plant.

In the designer

Growth over time

180-360" tall · 72-120" spread

Mature vine filling its support; flowering and fruiting on established wood.

Design roles: Structure · Edible

Seasonal interest

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Filled = the plant has seasonal interest · ▾ now = your current season

Kiwifruit

At a glance

Why it matters

Cold hardiness

Heat tolerance

Where this plant fits

What it needs

Lifecycle

Pollination

Plants don't grow alone

For people

Native range

Climate notes

In the designer

Seasonal interest

Sources & citations