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Will it be Monarda didyma or perhaps Verbena? They are both pretty perennial plants, but whether they thrive or perish in your garden depends in part on your "zone".
Monarda will provide lots of color, attract bees and is hardy enough to survive a cold winter. Verbena is tender. A really frigid winter may kill it off.
Knowing what plants will grow well in your zone is a first step in planning your garden.
That's where hardiness zone maps come in. These maps show the average lowest temperatures for each zone.
Zones are also referred to in gardening catalogs or on seed packets, as well as in books or magazines.
The US Department of Agriculture determines the zone classifications and the map the USDA produces showing these zones is a useful tool when deciding what plants will flourish in your garden.
Show me the map! |
Monarda didyma
Verbena |
| Along with the USDA Hardiness map, GardenToad also brings you additional information to help you determine what to plant and when to plant it! |
| Average Zone Frost Dates for the Northern hemisphere |
| ZONE |
Last Frost |
First Frost |
Zone 1
Vulnerable to frost
365 days per year |
1 Jun / 30 Jun |
1 Jul / 31 Jul |
| Zone 2 |
1 May / 31 May |
1 Aug / 31 Aug |
| Zone 3 |
1 May / 31 May |
1 Sep / 30 Sep |
| Zone 4 |
1 May / 30 May |
1 Sep / 30 Sep |
| Zone 5 |
30 Mar / 30 Apr |
30 Sep / 30 Oct |
| Zone 6 |
30 Mar / 30 Apr |
30 Sep / 30 Oct |
| Zone 7 |
30 Mar / 30 Apr |
30 Sep / 30 Oct |
| Zone 8 |
28 Feb / 30 Mar |
30 Oct / 30 Nov |
| Zone 9 |
30 Jan / 28 Feb |
30 Nov / 30 Dec |
| Zone 10 |
30 Jan or before |
30 Nov / 30 Dec |
Zone 11
Frost-free
all year. |
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What does the weatherman mean when he says "Freeze"?
| Frost |
Tender plants may be damaged especially if the frosty conditions last a while. So cover them up! Semi-hardy and hardy plants should do fine. |
| Light Freeze |
Temperatures of -2C/-0C or 29F/32F will kill tender plants , but hardy plants probably won't suffer. |
| Moderate Freeze |
Temperatures of -8C/-2C or 25F/28F will damage semi-hardy plants and blossoms on fruit trees. Tender plants will be toast. |
| Severe Freeze |
Temperatures of -9C or 24F and colder will result in heavy damage to almost all plants. |
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| Made in the Shade |
Some seed catalogs and garden books refer to preferred sunlight conditions for particular plants by using terms such as "partial shade" or "partial sun". Have you ever wondered what they mean?
Here's an explanation of those terms to help you in planning and planting your garden:
| Shade |
Areas under a tree or trees that receive no direct sun at all. |
| Partial Shade |
Places under a single tree or under a small group of trees that only receive an hour to 5 hours of dappled sun. |
| Partial Sun |
Places in your garden that receive sun 3 to 5 hours a day. |
| Full Sun |
Areas that receive 6 or more hours of full sun a day. |
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