Planting & Growing Guides
"Plants don’t read catalogs — they read the weather"
Find your USDA hardiness zone below and get planting calendars, care tips, plant recommendations, and shopping guides specifically for your climate.
Not sure of your zone? Look it up by ZIP code →
Find Your Zone
Zone 1
Coldest winter low: below −60°F (below −51°C)
Typical summer highs: 50–70°F (10–21°C)
Interior Alaska & subarctic Canada. Extreme cold, very short season. Annuals and a handful of ultra-hardy natives.
Zone 1 Growing Guide →
Zone 2
Coldest winter low: −60°F to −50°F (−51°C to −46°C)
Typical summer highs: 55–75°F (13–24°C)
Northern Alaska & Canada. Subarctic conditions. Annuals are your most reliable color; a few iron-tough perennials survive.
Zone 2 Growing Guide →
Zone 3
Coldest winter low: −40°F to −30°F (−40°C to −34°C)
Typical summer highs: 65–85°F (18–29°C)
Northern US & Canada. Long cold winters, vivid summers. Yarrow, lupine, coneflower, and fast-maturing annuals thrive.
Zone 3 Growing Guide →
Zone 4
Coldest winter low: −30°F to −20°F (−34°C to −29°C)
Typical summer highs: 70–85°F (21–29°C)
Northern Midwest & New England. Cold winters, solid growing season. The perennial garden opens up here.
Zone 4 Growing Guide →
Zone 5
Coldest winter low: −20°F to −10°F (−29°C to −23°C)
Typical summer highs: 75–90°F (24–32°C)
Midwest, New England & mid-Atlantic. Wide plant palette, manageable winters. Lavender, salvia, echinacea, and sweet peas all perform.
Zone 5 Growing Guide →
Zone 6
Coldest winter low: −10°F to 0°F (−23°C to −18°C)
Typical summer highs: 80–90°F (27–32°C)
Mid-Atlantic, Midwest & Pacific Northwest. Mediterranean species start to become possible. Long season, rich plant palette.
Zone 6 Growing Guide →
Zone 7
Coldest winter low: 0°F to 10°F (−18°C to −12°C)
Typical summer highs: 85–95°F (29–35°C)
Mid-Atlantic, South & Pacific Northwest coast. Mild winters, long season. Ceanothus, echium, fuchsia, and fall-planted sweet peas.
Zone 7 Growing Guide →
Zone 8
Coldest winter low: 10°F to 20°F (−12°C to −7°C)
Typical summer highs: 85–100°F (29–38°C)
Pacific Coast, Pacific Northwest lowlands & coastal California. Nearly year-round planting. Fall is the best planting season.
Zone 8 Growing Guide →
Zone 9
Coldest winter low: 20°F to 30°F (−7°C to −1°C)
Typical summer highs: 90–105°F (32–41°C)
California’s Central Valley, coastal Southern California & Gulf Coast. Annie’s home zone. Year-round growing, fall planting is essential.
Zone 9 Growing Guide →
Zone 10
Coldest winter low: 30°F to 40°F (−1°C to 4°C)
Typical summer highs: 90–105°F (32–41°C)
Southern California coast, South Florida & Hawaii. Frost-free. Heat, drought, and humidity are the main variables.
Zone 10 Growing Guide →
Zone 11
Coldest winter low: above 40°F (above 4°C)
Typical summer highs: 85–95°F (29–35°C)
Hawaii & southernmost Florida. Tropical conditions year-round. Focus on heat-tolerant species and fall-planted cool-season annuals.
Zone 11 Growing Guide →
What’s in Each Zone Guide
Every zone guide includes everything you need to garden successfully in your climate:
- Zone overview — temperature range, climate character, and what makes your zone unique
- What to plant — perennials, annuals, groundcovers, shrubs & trees, grasses, vines, and succulents suited to your zone
- Planting calendar — seasonal rhythm for when to sow, transplant, divide, and prepare
- Care tips — sun, water, soil & drainage, mulch, containers, heat vs cold stress, and wind & siting
- Shop by feature — drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, pollinator-friendly, and California native plants for your zone
- Shop by garden goal — cut flowers, containers, slopes, hummingbirds, bees, and more
- FAQ — answers to the questions Zone gardeners actually ask
About USDA Hardiness Zones
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into 13 zones based on average annual extreme minimum temperatures — the coldest it typically gets in a given location. It’s the standard reference for plant cold hardiness in the US.
A few important things to know about zones:
- Zones measure cold, not heat. Two gardens in Zone 9 can have very different summers — a cool coastal garden and a hot inland valley are both Zone 9, but they grow very differently.
- Microclimates matter. A south-facing wall, a windbreak, or a low-lying frost pocket can shift your effective growing conditions by a full zone or more.
- Zone ratings are minimums, not guarantees. A plant rated to Zone 7 will survive Zone 7 winters — but drainage, siting, and first-winter protection all affect real-world outcomes.
- The map was updated in 2023. Many areas shifted half a zone warmer. If you’re using an older zone reference, it’s worth checking your current zone.
Look up your zone by ZIP code →
