What Planting Zone Am I In?

Selecting the right plants, shrubs and grass for your landscaping starts with one question — what planting zone am I in? The updated USDA Plant Zone Hardiness Map is your first step towards a cost-effective, sustainable landscape and garden space.

We spoke to Dr. Lauren Errickson, Director of Rutgers Gardens at Rutgers University. Dr. Errickson provided valuable insights about what we can learn from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map about how to select native plants. She also presented a 3-step plan for effective home planting beyond the USDA map.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide to finding your USDA planting zone:

• The USDA Plant Zone Hardiness Map includes 3 decades of climate data to establish which plants survive the winter in your area.
• Each USDA zone is split into 2 sections, with a range of 5°F average minimum winter temperature. Your zone is easy to find using the color-coded updated map.
• Find the official planting zone for the top 20 US cities. New York is in Zone 7b, Los Angeles is in zone 10b, and Miami is in Zone 11a.
• The USDA Map is only step 1 in the plant selection process. Dr. Errickson outlines a 3-step guide to plant selection, including her “right plant, right place” strategy.

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Interested in more details on native plant selection? Our expert guide to native landscaping covers all the basics and explains why local plants deliver the best results.

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The Updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

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The USDA updated its Plant Hardiness Zone Map in 2023. The latest update includes 30 years of climate data (1991-2020). The result is a more accurate reflection of temperature and climate trends in your area — this helps homeowners select the best trees, native plants and grasses for their landscaping and yard.

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The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is an essential tool for homeowners. Dr. Errickson says finding your USDA Zone is “step one” in establishing successful gardens, yards and landscape design.

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“That’s going to tell you — will this plant survive the winter?” she explains. “Certain plants are not going to be able to live below that minimum temperature.”

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Your USDA growing zone provides essential information about the average annual minimum winter temperature in a given area, as well as evolving changes in weather patterns.

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How Many USDA Planting Zones Are There?

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There are 13 primary planting zones in the updated 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map. These primary zones are divided by increments of 10° Fahrenheit — for example, Zone 7 has a minimum winter temperature range of 0-10°F, while Zone 8 has a minimum winter temperature range of 10-20°F.

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This doesn’t tell the whole story — each zone is split into half-zones with 5-degree ranges. These half-zones give gardening enthusiasts and landscape designers more detailed information to make tough decisions between plant species.

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For example, Zone 8a has a range of 10-15°F, and Zone 8b has a range of 15-20°F. 

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What Planting Zone Am I In? Use This Easy Tool

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Which of the 26 USDA planting zones do you live in? The USDA makes it simple to find out!

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The updated USDA map includes a helpful zip code lookup feature. Simply type your zip code into the search bar, and the map generates your local climate zone.

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For example: If you live in Des Moines, IA, with zip code 50316, you live in climate zone 5b.

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USDA Plant Hardiness Zones for Major US Cities

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Here are the official USDA plant hardiness zones for the 20 biggest metropolitan areas in the United States. The zone listed should apply to most residents in this region — check the zip code locator tool on the official USDA map for complete information.

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It’s interesting to note that metropolitan areas often have a climate zone 5°F warmer than surrounding suburban areas. Dr. Errickson notes this is due to shifts in global climate, especially around large populations.

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“As global temperatures are shifting, climate is changing,” Dr. Errickson notes. “We're getting more extreme weather in different places. “We're going to have to think carefully and watch carefully to see which plants are going to do well in different places.”

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4 Ways the USDA Plant Hardiness Map Helps Homeowners

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Homeowners gain 4 important benefits from using the USDA Hardiness Zone Map to select native trees, plants and grasses:

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1. Choosing the right plants: Find your hardiness zone, and choose plants that are likely to survive and thrive in your specific climate. That means no more wasted money and effort on plants that won’t survive the winter.
2. Planning your landscaping: Your USDA zone informs a landscape design that complements your local climate. Native plants in your zone have evolved to perform year-round in your region with less maintenance than non-native plants.
3. Winning at gardening: Gardeners use climate information from the USDA zone map to cultivate flowers, vegetables, fruits and shrubs that win in their region. Hardy plants in your area are more likely to attract native pollinators — this means bees, butterflies and ladybugs will do some of your work for you.
4. Saving money long-term: A beautiful tree isn’t so pretty if it dies in 2 years. Protect your landscaping investment with the right grass and plant species — you’ll lose less of them over the winter, and you’ll spend less each year replacing them with annuals.

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Building a garden that attracts native pollinators can save thousands of dollars over its lifespan. Learn how to design a pollinator garden with native plants that win in your region.

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2 Things the USDA Map Doesn’t Tell You About Planting

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As Dr. Errickson mentioned, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is only “step one” in your plant selection process. It’s an incredible tool that helps DIY landscapers and gardeners plan for plant survival — but it doesn’t tell you everything.

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Here are 2 other pieces of information Dr. Errickson recommends homeowners uncover to ensure a successful landscape installation:

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1. Maximum summer temperature (heat tolerance). “We talk about this aspect less, but [plants] also have an upper temperature limit,” Dr. Errickson says. Make sure your plants can tolerate the heat in your area as well as the cold. 
2. “Right plant, right place”. Your individual yard has microclimates, where temperature, sun and soil conditions may vary. “We're looking not just at the hardiness, but the finer details of the ecoregion,” Errickson explains. Look into how wind, sun, shade and “hot spots” in your yard affect planting decisions.

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Avid gardeners and plant lovers can learn more about the finer points of planting by enrolling in a local Master Gardener program.

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Conclusion

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The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map doesn’t provide all the information you need to make a smart plant decision, but it’s a great start. Use the map to locate the average low winter temperature for your region, then select native plants that evolved to survive near you.

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Native plant selection is crucial to attract helpful pollinators and enrich your soil. Create your landscape and garden plan with these plants, and you’ll save thousands of dollars over the lifespan of your outdoor space.

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