Gardening in Your Planting Zone

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Bottom Line

If you are a gardener, it is is very important that you know in which planting zone you reside before purchasing any perennials. A plant hardiness zone tells you what perennial plants will survive the winter where you live.
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Must Know

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Know your planting zone number.
Find what gardening zone you live in before buying perennial plants. Plants rated for a warmer zone may be killed by your winter temperatures.

By: Life123 Editors
Buy plants rated to your zone or a lower-numbered zone.
Though you should avoid purchasing plants rated for a higher zone, you can choose plants that are rated for a lower zone. Most plant tags and catalog descriptions will give you the gardening zone.

By: Life123 Editors
The lower the number, the colder the winter.
The numeric values assigned to each zone are based on the coldness of the winter in the area. Zone Three has colder winters than Zone Four.

By: Life123 Editors

Trap Door

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Be cautious when selecting plants that don’t have a proven track record.
It may be exciting to be the first on the block with a new variety of plant, but be aware that new plants on the market may not have an accurate gardening zone attached to them. The data collected on the plant may not be comprehensive.

By: Life123 Editors
Use the official USDA Zone Map.
Though other organizations put out garden zone maps, most plant sellers use the USDA Zone Map to label their plants. If you determine your zone using the USDA Zone Map, you will be choosing plants correctly.

By: Life123 Editors
Be careful when trying to cheat nature.
If you are determined and don’t mind the possibility of losing the plant, you can try to plant in a higher hardiness zone. In every yard there are areas called microzones where the climate is just a little different from the surrounding area.

By: Life123 Editors

Experts Say

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Plantcare.com

The U.S.D.A planting zones map provides information for large swaths across the country, and even for smaller microclimates, in some cases. These subdivisions act as a starting point for the garden planner and describe planting times for flowers and other garden mainstays.

Zone flower planting times guide, Plantcare.com
Paul James, master gardener

Typically, a plant tag will have a range of numbers—say, Zones 6 through 9—rather than a single number. In many cases, the farther south you go in terms of the zones, chances are the more shade the plant will need. But if there's no number at all on the tag, chances are the plant is not hardy in your area and is intended to be grown as an annual (for one growing season).

Hardiness Zones Q&A, HGTV.com
Better Homes and Gardens

The first maxim of winter protection is this: If you select plants that are hardy to winter in your area, you won't have to worry that much about protecting them.

Protection from the Elements, Better Homes and Gardens