Your Cheat Sheet to Choosing the Best Plants for Your Garden
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If you’ve ever read a plant tag or description, you’ve probably heard of the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. Gardeners and growers have long relied on it to help them figure out what perennials, shrubs, and trees are best suited to their specific regions. The map is an invaluable tool for both new and experienced gardeners.
“The system is a way to help you choose plants that are most likely to survive winters in your area,” says Stacey Hirvela, horticulturist with Spring Meadow Nursery and Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. “It focuses on plant survival down to the lowest average temperatures where you live.”
The zone information is included on plant tags and in descriptions. But while the map is helpful for cold climates, it doesn’t address the heat tolerance of plants. So, essentially, the hotter your climate, the less useful it is for you, says Hirvela. However, it’s the only nationwide system we have that’s used universally by nurseries and growers to guide you regarding the best plant selection. Here's what you need to know about plant hardiness zones and how to find yours.
What Are Plant Hardiness Zones?
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map includes 13 zones across the United States and is based on 30-year averages for the lowest winter temperature in each region. The map is divided into 10-degree temperature zones and five-degree half-zones, designated as A and B (for example, zone 7A or zone 7B). The map was updated in 2023 with data measured from an increased number of weather stations from previous map editions.
It's important to understand, however, that simply choosing a plant for your correct hardiness zone is no guarantee it will survive and thrive, says Hirvela. Many other factors impact how well a plant does:
Did you choose the best location to give it the right amount of sunlight or shade?
Did you water it to ensure it set down a strong root system?
Was the winter particularly harsh?
Even if you did all the right things, some plants just may not take to your backyard environment. Nature has a way of keeping even the most experienced gardener guessing some years.
How Do I Find My USDA Hardiness Zone?
You can find your specific zone by checking the interactive map on the USDA website. The zones are as follows:
Northeast; USDA Zones 2 to 7
States: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and Rhode Island
Southeast; USDA Zones 7 to 10
States: Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida
North Central; USDA Zones 2 to 5
States: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri
South Central; USDA Zones 6 to 9
States: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
Southwest; USDA Zones 3 to 10
States: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Northwest; USDA Zones: 3 to 9
States: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Northern California
Best Plants to Grow in Your USDA Hardiness Zone
Northeast
Groundcover: Perennial geranium (Geranium spp) is a fast-growing groundcover with a spicy scent that deer and rabbits don’t like. It has lovely flowers that float on long stems above the foliage in late spring.
Vine: Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp) is a fast-growing vine with sweetly scented flowers that pollinators adore, followed by red berries in fall. Look for Lonicera pericylmenum, which is not invasive.
Perennial: Coral bells (Heuchera) is a flower grown more for its colorful foliage than its flowers, although tiny spikes of flowers in midsummer attract hummingbirds.
Shrub: Hydrangea (Hydrangea spp) comes in numerous sizes and forms, providing gorgeous three-season interest in the garden with summer blooms in whites, pinks, and blues that fade and dry out to remain intact on the plant for winter interest.
Tree: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) provides excellent shade and stunning fall color in the Northeast.
Southeast
Groundcover: Liriope (Liriope muscari) is a grassy-looking groundcover that grows equally well in sun or shade. It gets tiny spikes of purple flowers.
Vine: Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp) is a stunning vine with papery flowers in shades of white, pink, and red. Some new varieties are thornless.
Perennial: Agastache (Agastache spp), also known as hummingbird mint, has spikes of gorgeous pink and purple flowers from summer to early fall. As you’d guess, hummingbirds love it!
Shrub: Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is heat-tolerant and flowers throughout the summer in shades of white, pink, purple, and red.
Tree: Red maple (Acer rubrum) is a native tree with stunning red foliage that seems to glow in the fall light.
North Central
Groundcover: Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum), a hardy, creeping herb that is covered in pollinator-friendly flowers from late spring to midsummer. It can tolerate poor soil.
Vine: Clematis (Clematis spp) comes in hundreds of varieties, so you’ll find one to love. This climber blooms in spring or summer, depending on the variety, and it's a long-lived perennial.
Perennial: Coneflowers (Echinacea) come in an array of colors from bubblegum pink to bright orange, and they’re well adapted for both the extreme cold and heat of summer in the North Central region.
Shrub: Forsythia (Forsythia spp) is one of the earliest shrubs to bloom with sunny yellow flowers in early- to mid-spring.
Tree: Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp) is a lovely small tree that has beautiful white flowers in spring, followed by edible berries in fall. It also gets brilliant red-orange fall color.
South Central
Groundcover: Ajuga (Ajuga reptans) forms a dense mat of low-growing evergreen foliage and pretty purple, white, or pink blooms.
Vine: Clematis (Clematis spp) is a winner in many different climates, including the South Central region of the country. It blooms in spring to late summer, depending on the variety.
Perennial: Catmint (Nepeta spp) is a sturdy, long-blooming perennial that tolerates all soil types. It has a minty scent, so deer and rabbits tend to avoid it.
Shrub: Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) has gorgeous flowers in white, pink, or blue. Blooming occurs in late summer when most of the garden may be fading.
Tree: Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a must-have in the spring garden for its tiny pink or white blooms that appear in early- to mid-spring while the branches are still bare. The heart-shaped leaves make it appealing throughout the season.
Southwest
Groundcover: Delosperma (Delosperma), also known as ice plant, is a low-growing succulent with flowers that appear from spring to fall in brilliant neon colors, including hot pink, orange, and purple.
Vine: Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp) has papery flowers that bloom profusely in shades of pink, white, yellow, and red. Look for thornless varieties to make pruning easier.
Perennial: Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) has airy spikes of pale purple flowers. It does well in hot, dry conditions once established.
Shrub: English laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is a handsome evergreen shrub with glossy foliage. It also gets fragrant white flowers, followed by black berries in fall. It makes an excellent hedge.
Tree: Olive tree (Olea europaea) is a beautiful option that thrives in hot, dry conditions. Choose a fruitless variety to prevent messy fruit dropping on your deck or patio.
Northwest
Groundcover: Brass buttons (Leptinella squalida) is a ferny, low-growing plant that grows to just two inches tall. Tiny yellow flowers appear in spring.
Vine: Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris) is a lovely perennial vine that’s slow to take off but has lacey-looking blooms in early summer. It needs a sturdy trellis or tree to climb.
Perennial: Salvia (Salvia nemorosa) has spikes of pink or blue flowers that attract all sorts of pollinators, including hummingbirds. It’s also rabbit- and deer-resistant.
Shrub: Boxwood (Buxus spp) is a glossy evergreen plant that can be shaped into hedges or left to grow naturally. It’s deer-resistant, too.
Tree: Freeman maple (Acer x freemanii) is a sturdy hybrid maple with a lovely orange-red color.
Does the Hardiness Zone Map Update Change What I Can Grow?
With the update of the USDA Hardiness Zone Map in 2023, about half the country shifted to the next warmer half zone while the other half stayed the same. Does that mean the new map changes what you can grow? Maybe.
“Hardiness zones are guidelines,” says Jenny Rose Carey, author of The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide and former senior director of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society’s Meadowbrook Farm. “But there are microclimates even within your own garden.”
This means you may be able to experiment with growing plants that like slightly warmer temperatures up against the house, where a plant will be more sheltered and receive radiant heat from the structure, says Carey. On the other hand, windy or elevated areas will be less suited to the next warmer hardiness zone.
That being said, if your growing zone changed and you’d like to start experimenting with plants that are one zone or a half-zone warmer, go slowly, says Carey. Try one or two plants and see how they do. Talk to nearby nurseries, who are the local authorities, to help you choose new plants to try out in your garden.
Do Annuals Have Hardiness Zones?
The USDA Hardiness Zone Map is used for perennials, shrubs, and trees—but not annuals, says Hirvela. Annuals typically do not have hardiness zones listed on their tags or in their descriptions because they are grown for only one season, dying back in the fall after the first frost or freeze.
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