Maps & Regional Guides

Ignore state or city borders when it comes to gardening; instead, dive deep into the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Hardiness Zones and base your plant choices on your climate. USDA Hardiness Zones help you pick the plants that will thrive where you live. Hardiness Zones are also a way for you to learn climate specifics about your region, including average first and last frost dates. Other climate-tracking maps can also help you know when it's best to plant things such as vegetable seedlings. Look to the Average Spring Frost Zone Map and the Average First Fall Frost Map for insight. Once you've learned all you can about your Zone, use that information to pick no-fail garden plants for your region, as well as top natives and easy wildflowers that are already adapted to where you live. The weather, frost, and heat in your area also determine how you take care of crops such as herbs and vegetables; use these year-round guides for advice. Nearly every gardener has to deal with deer; from region to region, different plants prove more resistant to these animals. Learn what works in your region with these guides.