How To Use The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

All plants have a minimum temperature tolerance. This map was published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help determine if a specific plant variety will survive the minimum wintertime temperatures in your area. 

If you live outside the range given for a particular plant or in a zone above one given zone, the plant you are considering may not survive outdoors during the winter.

Here’s an example: 

A tag on a plant from the nursery or information you find online says “Zones 6-9”. This means you can easily grow that plant anywhere within zones 6, 7, 8, and 9,  and possibly also in zone 5 with some protection from cold winter winds and in zone 10 with some sun protection in the hot summer months.

If the information on the plant says “Zone 5”, for example, this means you can grow this plant in zone 5 and anywhere south of that zone. 

Anywhere north of the recommended range you will need to bring the plant indoors/into a greenhouse during the winter months or grow that variety as an annual.

 

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