Plants have varying growing habits, so you want to find those best suited for your local climate. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has divided the country into 11 growing zones. These growing zones are based upon the minimum winter temperatures in each area. The USDA Hardiness Zones provide an excellent method of determining which plants are cold hardy in your local climate.
The USDA zones are shown by primarily horizontal bands that stretch from west to east across the U.S. The lowest-numbered (coldest) zones are in the north, and the zone numbers get progressively higher toward the southern (warmer) parts of the country. Each climatic zone hosts a unique variety of plants that can impact shade trees make.
Finding a viable plant for your area is simple. Enter your zip code in the box provided and the USDA Hardiness Zone you reside in will be displayed. All of the plants on the Nature Hills site have a climate zone recommendation displayed on each page. If your zip code-generated climatic zone falls within the plant´s recommended growing area, that plant should tolerate your area´s winter temperatures.