What will grow best in your garden?

Zone 1 & 2: Arctic Tundra/Extreme Cold Weather

Zone 1 and 2 plants are tough, vigorous, and adaptable to cold extremes. Surprisingly, many of these are also xeriscape plants [1] with high drought tolerance. The Yukon, Siberia and parts of Alaska are representatives of this harsh planting zone. Gardening in zone 1 isn’t for the faint of heart. Planting choices must be acclimated to the tundra [2] and harsh conditions. Read on for a list of cold hardy plants that can withstand temperatures of – 50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 C.) in winter. From The Gardening Knowhow article by Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist.

Sky pilot, alpine buttercup, and old-man-of-the-mountain in full bloom at 12,100' on Copper Mountain. from Wikipedia

Some flowering plants that grow well in this zone are:

• yarrow
• False Spirea
• Cranesbill
• Columbine
• Delphinium
• Creeping Jenny
• Siberian Iris
• Lily of the Valley

Native Cold Hardy Plants

• Dwarf Birch
• Crowberry
• Lapland Rhododendrum
• Netleaf Willow
• Quaking Aspen
• Artemisia
• Wild Cushion Plant
• Cotton Grass
• Labrador Tea
• Devil's Club

Yarrow plant

Zone 1 & 2: Arctic Tundra/Extreme Cold Weather

Zone 1 and 2 plants are tough, vigorous, and adaptable to cold extremes. Surprisingly, many of these are also xeriscape plants with high drought tolerance. The Yukon, Siberia and parts of Alaska are representatives of this harsh planting zone. Gardening in zone 1 isn’t for the faint of heart. Planting choices must be acclimated to the tundra and harsh conditions. Read on for a list of cold hardy plants that can withstand temperatures of – 50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 C.) in winter. From The Gardening Knowhow article by Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist.

fall in interior of Alaska

Some flowering plants that grow well in this zone are:

• yarrow
• False Spirea
• Cranesbill
• Columbine
• Delphinium
• Creeping Jenny
• Siberian Iris
• Lily of the Valley

Native Cold Hardy Plants

• Dwarf Birch
• Crowberry
• Lapland Rhododendrum
• Netleaf Willow
• Quaking Aspen
• Artemisia
• Wild Cushion Plant
• Cotton Grass
• Labrador Tea
• Devil's Club

False Spirea

Zone 3: Extremely Cold and Short Growing Season

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Home & Garden "Lovetoknow" website

Plants that Thrive in Zone 3

The hardiness zone guide can help you decide which plants can grow in your climate. Most plants and all seed packets provide this helpful information.

Some things to consider:
Due to the short growing season, it is necessary to sow seeds and grow indoors. This gives a leg up for transplanting after the last frost danger.
Zone 3 is ideal for a greenhouse. You can start seedlings and transplant in your outdoor garden. With a greenhouse, you can grow food year-round regardless how cold it is outside.
When selecting plants and trees make sure they are rated 'very hardy" to withstand the harsh winters.

• Daffodils
• Crocuses
• Delphiniums
• Lilacs
• Hydrangeas
• Marigolds
• Morning Glories
• Columbine

• Cherry Trees
• Plum Trees
• Crabapple Trees
• Pear Trees
• Apple Trees
• Norway Spruce
• Paper Birch
• Red Maple Trees

Delphinium flowers

Zone 4: Short Growing Season, Cold Winters

Custer Park in Bismarck, ND

Zone 4 is one of the shortest growing seasons of the USDA zones. The first and last frost dates can fluctuate a week or two, but as a general rule, frost dates are used for zones to plan garden planting. According to Lovetoknow Home & Garden website, the last frost for this zone is from May 15 to June 1 and the first frost of the following winter is between September 15 and October 1.

• Shasta Daisies
• Bleeding heart
• Rockcress
• Aster
• Bellflower
• Daylily
• Violets
• Yarrow

• Barberry
• Azalea
• Smoke Trees
• Hemlock
• Burning Bush
• Poplar
• Elm
• Winterberry

Shasta Daisies

Zone 5 - Last Frost Date Around April 15

shady garden in Nebraska from Hawks Landscape website

Hardiness zones are general guidelines of the temperatures a plant can survive. Zone 5 plants can survive winter temperatures no lower than -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-28 C.). If a plant is hardy in zones 5-8, it can be grown in zones 5, 6, 7 and 8. It would probably not survive the cold winter temperatures in zone 4 or lower. It also could probably not survive the hot, dry summers and inadequate time for dormancy in zone 9 or higher. From "Planting in Zone 5: Gardening Tips for Zone 5" from the Gardening Know How website

• Echinacea
• Bee Balm
• Rockcress
• Phlox
• Delphinium
• Daylily
• Black Eyed Susan
• Sedum

• Maple
• Pin Oak
• Skyline Honey locust
• Hemlock
• Cleveland Select Pear
• Ginkgo
• Saucer Magnolia
• Colorado Blue Spruce

Coneflowers/Echinacea

Zone 6: A Great Zone for Wildflowers

beautiful wildflower garden

Zone 6 stretches across the US, including regions in Massachusetts and Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and into the interior areas of the Pacific Northwest. Wildflowers can be a great, easy to maintain addition to gardens in this region, only needing occasional watering in most locations, according to Mary Ellen Ellis in the article "Popular Zone 6 Wildflowers: Planting Wildflowers in Zone 6 Gardens" Gardening Knowhow website.

• Zinnia
• Cosmos
• Wild sunflower
• Prairie phlox
• Johnny jump-up
• Foxglove
• Black Eyed Susan

• Fringe tree
• Ruby red horse chestnut
• Japanese tree lilac
• Tree hydrangeas
• Star magnolia
• Showy mountain ash
• witch hazel bush
• Tulip Trees

Zinnias

Zone 7: Milder Winters, Long, Dry Summers

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map Home & Garden "Lovetoknow" website

According to the Urban Farmer website, Zone 7 has a medium length growing season, with a last frost date of April 15 and first frost date of November 15.

Since winter temperatures in Zone 7 usually only drop to about 0 to 10 degrees, gardeners have some options for year round plants, such as Rhododendrons or Camelias, as well as conifer trees. According to Darcy Larum in her article "Zone 7 Year Round Plants - Year Round Plants for Landscaping in Zone 7" in the Gardening Knowhow website, this means more opportunity to add plants with year round interest in the landscape. Sometimes called “Four Season” plants, they are just that: plants that look nice in spring, summer, fall and even winter.

Annual plants add immediate punch to the flower garden. There are annuals for sun or partial sun locations. Most popular annuals for zone 7 are tried and true selections with many cultivars and colors. Some are more commonly grown for their foliage and are perfect foils for setting off color displays. With good care, annuals can brighten the garden from spring until the first frost. Local garden centers will carry the most popular annuals for zone 7. This makes it easy to find hardy classics such as petuniasand impatiens. You may choose to sow seed or purchase blooming plants. Sowing seeds can be done outside after all danger of frost has passed but the appearance of flowers will take quite some time. GardeningKnowHow website

• Black eyed Susans
• Cosmos
• Coreopsis
• Lantana
• Salvia
• Spider Flowers
• Strawflower
• Globe Amaranth

• Marigolds
• Petunias
• Portulaca
• Sweet Potato Vine
• Geranium
• Dahlia
• Cypress Vine

• Monkey Flowers
• Forget Me Nots
• Impatiens
• Begonias
• Coleus
• Pansy
• Lobelia

Salvia Blooms

Zone 8: Long Growing Season with Hot Summers

zone 8 natural landscape example Gardenia: Creating Gardenswebsite

Zone 8 covers a wide southern region of the U.S. from Texas to parts of North Carolina and parts of the Pacific Northwest as well. It’s a temperate climate with a long growing season and there are many shrubs that thrive here. The coldest this region usually gets in winter is 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit or -12 to -6.7 degrees Celsius.
Because of the longer growing season, there is a greater opportunity to enjoy flowering shrubs and to have color for a longer period of time. Many shrubs will do well in your zone 8 garden and while they need to be watered regularly until established, will generally thrive with just rainwater after that, making care easy.

• Lavender
• Butterfly Bushes
• Bigleaf Hydrangeas
• Forsythia
• Knock Out Rose
• Wax Myrtle
• Ostrich Fern

• Mint
• Glossy Abelia
• Thyme
• Chives
• Winter Savory
• Mexican Oregano
• Rosemary

For more information about growing an herb garden in Zone 8
(or other zones) visit the Dengarden website.

Creeping Thyme

Zone 9: Year Round Gardening?

zone 9 garden example from Gardenia: Creating Gardenswebsite

Zone 9 has a long growing season and hot summers, and most plants can actually be grown there year round, except possibly during the hottest part of the year, the summer months. Some plants that struggle in this zone are bell peppers and pole green beans, which do not produce very well in high temperatures. Vegetables that do well here are those that love heat, such as sweet potatoes, okra, eggplant, Chinese red or green long beans, melons, and various legumes.
Zone 9's frost dates are typically less than a week in January, so be aware that some of the plants you might be growing will need to be protected against the freezing temperatures there.
(from Love To Know website)

• Lavender
• Mediterranean Sea Holly
• Agapanthus Silver Moon (African Lily)
• Russian Sage
• Tufted Hair Grass
• Giant Hyssop
• Headbourne Hybrids African Lily

• Pitcher Sage
• Abelia 'Edward Goucher'
• Abelia x grandiflora 'Hopleys'
• Glossy Abelia
• Flowering Maple
• Painted Abutilon
• Bears Breech

Lily of the Nile bloom from cactus garden

Zone 10: What to Grow

cosmos, sunflowers, and other hot weather flowers American Meadows website

Zone 10 has a very long growing season, and it isn't hard to find plants to grow there most of the year. There is a very short "frost season" so gardeners don't have to worry too much about waiting for spring to grow beautiful flowers!

• Black Eyed Susans
• Butterfly weed
• Blazing Star
• Joe-Pye weed
• Aster
• Coneflowers
• Blanket Flowers
• Daylily
• Daisies

• Aloe Vera
• Arugula
• Bell Peppers
• Blackberry
• Cannas
• Cantaloupe
• Croton

Erigeron karvinskianus (daisy-like flower) from The English Garden

Zone 11 Planting Tips

A beautiful Cactus Garden Green and Vibrant website

Because of the fact that zones 9 to 11 have the lowest average temperatures of 25 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 to 4 degrees Celsius), growers here might think that they should be able to grow anything. However, some plants actually need a freezing, or chilling period to grow best, and won't thrive in such a warm region as this. The biggest consideration for these gardens is how much water a plant requires, and how much precipitation your area gets around the year.
The most important thing to remember with any plant is to match its needs to the soil. Many cooler climate plants can thrive in hot areas but the soil must hold moisture and the site should be protected from the highest heat of the day. So site is also important.

Northern plants with a high heat tolerance can perform well if they are afforded some protection from the sizzling sun’s rays and kept evenly moist. That is not to say soggy but evenly and frequently watered and in a soil rich in compost that will keep water in and topped with mulch that will prevent evaporation.

Another tip for warm region gardeners is to plant in containers. Container plants expand your menu by allowing you to move cool climate plants indoors during the hottest part of the day and in the depth of summer. (from Easy to Grow )

• Agave
• Artemisia
• Orchid Tree
• Joe-Pye weed
• Buddleja
• Cedar sedge
• Elbo Bush
• Cacti and succulents
• Passionflower
• Rudbeckia

• Banana Plants
• Caladium
• Calla Lily
• Bamboo
• Canna
• Foxtail Palm
• Lady Palm

Maidenhair Ferns and Elephants Ear in a tropical garden (from Easy to Grow Bulbs)

Zone 12 & 13: Tropical Gardens

Tropical Garden with Elephants Ears Cool Tropical Plants website

Heat tolerance and maximum germination temperatures become an issue in Zones 12 and 13. Tropical plants are the key to gardening and landscaping in the extreme heat of both these zones. Growers germinate indoors, purchase plants from nurseries and grow many vegetables during the cooler winter months. (from Gilmour website)

• African Apricot
• African Breadfruit
• Ackee
• Alupag
• Amazon tree-grape
• Bacuri Cascudo
• Bignay
• Black Pepper
• Imbe
• Java Olive
• Tropical almond

• Musaceae
• Strelitziaceae
• Zingiberaceae
• Costaceae
• Cannaceae
• Marantaceae
• Lowiaceae

Lavastone bowl overflowing to water reservoir in nedlands garden with cycads and tropical plants
(from CultivArtwebsite, Nedlands Tropical Garden)

Zone 12 & 13: Tropical Gardens

Tropical Garden with Elephants Ears Cool Tropical Plants website

Heat tolerance and maximum germination temperatures become an issue in Zones 12 and 13. Tropical plants are the key to gardening and landscaping in the extreme heat of both these zones. Growers germinate indoors, purchase plants from nurseries and grow many vegetables during the cooler winter months. (from Gilmour website)

• African Apricot
• African Breadfruit
• Ackee
• Alupag
• Amazon tree-grape
• Bacuri Cascudo
• Bignay
• Black Pepper
• Imbe
• Java Olive
• Tropical almond

• Musaceae
• Strelitziaceae
• Zingiberaceae
• Costaceae
• Cannaceae
• Marantaceae
• Lowiaceae

Lavastone bowl overflowing to water reservoir in nedlands garden with cycads and tropical plants
(from CultivArtwebsite, Nedlands Tropical Garden)