Find your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

In order to maximize the potential for your plants to thrive in your environment, you should check a climate zone map. Climate zone maps were created to give gardeners a way to compare their garden's climate with the climate where a plant is known to grow well. Zone maps are tools that show where various permanent landscape plants can adapt. If you want a shrub, perennial, or tree to survive and grow year after year, the plant must tolerate year-round conditions in your area, such as the lowest and highest temperatures and the amount and distribution of rainfall.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has established plant hardiness zones based on a region’s historical average minimum temperatures. The map takes the average annual minimum winter temperature and divides these into 10 degree Fahrenheit zones, which correlate to colors on the map. For example, zone 4 has average minimum winter temperatures of -20°F to -30°F. In zone 7, the range is 0°F to 10°F. When you buy perennials, trees, and shrubs, the accompanying tag should list the USDA zones in which the plant will grow. Select plants that are hardy to your zone. If you live in zone 5, make sure 5 is in the range listed on the tag. Plants listed as hardy in zones 3-6 or 5-7 will survive in zone 5 areas. Plants listed as hardy in zones 6-9 or 7-9 will find zone 5 areas too cold and are not likely to survive.

Click here to find your USDA Hardiness Zone.

Click here to learn more about your USDA Hardiness Zone

You can also use https://www.greencastonline.com/tools/soil-temperature to estimate your location’s soil temperature by location.