Global Gardening Zones gives resources for gardening zones worldwide, including information on what gardening zones are and how to use them to plant your garden
Gardening zones are meant to show which plants can survive in your area. Learning your gardening zone is important, but it does not tell you everything that will grow in your vegetable garden! A gardening zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by temperature hardiness, or ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone.
But you should also consider soil type, rainfall, daytime temperatures, humidity, heat, local climates (even microclimates), day length, wind and other factors.
In the United States, there are 11 zones, with zone 11 running through Hawaii and the Southern tip of Florida. It is the hottest zone. At the other end, Zone 1 is the coldest.
The hardiness zones for the United Kingdom range from 6a (-10 to -5 °F) and 6b (-5 to 0 F) in the Scottish Highlands to 10a and 10b in low-lying coastal areas of Cornwall, Scillonia, Torbay and Weymouth (30-40 °F).
Every spring, I pick up from my local gardening center three trusty companions that are free: A calendar with the lunar cycle and regional planting times, the farmer's almanac, and a planting guide. With these, you will know when to plant what for your particular region.
After you've gardened many years, you know from experience when to plant and what will grow best. But it is still helpful to have your calendar, almanac, and planting guide.
To locate your gardening zone, use these resources:
A very handy tool is the Burpee Seed Company zip code zone finder tool .
United States Gardening Zones map from Blossom Swap.
Gardening zones in Canada can be found here: and see the
Canadian Zone Map by Agriculture Canada .
Australian National Botanic Gardens presents Australian gardening zones.
What are Sunset Zones?
In 13 Western states of the United States, a 24-zone climate system was created by Sunset Magazine, which became the standard. The Sunset zone maps factor in winter minimum temperatures, summer highs, lengths of growing seasons, humidity, and rainfall patterns.
You can view the Sunset zone maps at the Sunset website. Sunset publishes Western Garden Book, a gardening reference for the 13 Western states.
You can view The American Horticulture Society's Heat Zone map courtesy of Suite 101. Established in 1922, The American Horticultural Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in American horticulture.
For gardening in Europe, Garden Web has a European Hardiness Zone Map.
Backyard Gardener.Com presents helpful zone maps for South America and China.
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Copyright May 2006 by Sally Morton. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
