The zone range
"Hardy in zones 4 to 8" means the plant is expected to survive winters in zones 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Check your zone with the zone finder. If your zone is inside the range, you are fine for winter cold.
At the edge of the range
If you are in the coldest zone listed, give the plant a sheltered spot: near a south-facing wall, out of the wind, with a layer of mulch over the roots in late fall. If you are colder than the range, treat the plant as an annual or grow it in a pot you can bring inside.
Half zones
Tags usually list whole zones. If you are in 6a, you are in the colder half of zone 6, so a plant rated "to zone 6" is closer to its limit than it would be in 6b.
The rest of the tag
- Sun: full sun usually means 6 or more hours of direct sun a day; part sun or part shade means less.
- Spacing: the distance to leave between plants so they have room at full size.
- Height and spread: the expected size at maturity.
Annuals, perennials and zones
- Annuals live for one season, so their zone matters little: they are planted after frost and finish in fall.
- Perennials, shrubs and trees must survive winter in the ground, so their hardiness range is the first thing to check.
- Tender perennials sold as annuals (many patio plants) are rated only for warm zones. In colder zones, treat them as annuals or bring them inside.
Quick checklist before you buy
- Find your zone with the zone finder.
- Check that your zone is inside the tag's range, ideally not at the cold end.
- Match the sun label to the spot you have in mind.
- Check the mature size so it fits the space.
- Ask the nursery if the plant needs anything unusual, such as acidic soil.
Hardiness zones only cover winter cold. Heat, rain and soil matter too. Zones on this site come from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map data.
