The USDA has divided the country into climate zones based on temperature. Each Zone is numbered so it’s easy to remember and to identify whether a plant will grow well in your location. Simply enter your zip code on this page to find your USDA Hardiness Zone. Once you’ve completed this easy step, you’ll see your Zone in parentheses after “My Growing Zone”.
Desktop: Click “My Growing Zone” in the black bar above, enter your zip code. Shop our diverse plant selection and look for the “Grows in my Zone” flag on the product images. Sign in (click-able sign in next to the cart) and we’ll remember your Zone each time you come back to shop!
Mobile: Enter a plant category on the site (roses, for example), tap “Find My Planting Zone”, enter your zip code, submit; Tap the “Make X My Growing Zone”; as you shop, look for the “Grows in my Zone” flag on the product images.
The USDA created the Hardiness Zone Map to help gardeners select the plants prescribed to grow best in their location. The map is based on average annual minimum winter temperature and divided into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones. As we know, plants perform differently based on their native habitat. Plants can be hardy or tender in a specific Zone. They may also be frost tender or heat tender which is why it is so important to select plants that have performed well in your specific growing zone. The lowest and highest temperatures plants can handle varies. These are guidelines based on historical success.
Of course, whether specific plants will grow in your Zone is not the only consideration when selecting your garden plants, but we recommend it to be your first. What else should you consider?
Native, all-season blooming, winter interest, fall color, spring blooming, etc. If you have a favorite plant or flower, mass it into a concentrated area as a focal point.
Size, form, texture, color, fragrance. Is your garden full sun or shade? Is there space in the garden for the plants at mature size or is it time to break ground on a new/another garden?
Source: USDA.gov
USDA.gov approximates the growing season by calculating the period between the average date of the last killing frost in the spring to the average date of the first killing frost in the fall. This represents a temperature threshold of 28 degrees F or lower at a frequency of 5 years in 10.
The growing season length is determined from daily minimum temperature values. Threshold surface temperatures of 32, 28, and 24 degrees Fahrenheit are generally used to determine the effects of air temperature on plants. That effect is classified by these temperature ranges and terms for the plants that are impacted by them:
It should be noted that temperatures near the ground may be significantly lower than temperatures measured at five feet, the normal height that air temperatures are observed. It is not unusual for surface temperature and air temperature to vary by four degrees or more. For this reason, the WETS program allows users to select the three threshold temperatures.
How to find my First Average Annual Frost Date and my Last Average Annual Frost Date?NOTE: These are estimates based on historical data
