Proven Winners Direct™ Zone Guide: Zone 5
With a longer growing season, those who live in Zone 5 get to enjoy the beauty of flowers and foliage throughout three different seasons. This allows more versatility in their garden landscape, since they can enjoy flowering spring shrubs and deep fall foliage much longer than those in colder zones. Annuals can also be planted earlier in garden containers or landscape beds to add to landscape interest.
Zone 5 stretches across the entire United States, with 32 states having a zone 5 climate somewhere within it. Those in zone 5 can expect their average spring thaw in mid to late April. The first frost date typically falls between mid to late October, leaving a 5 to 6 month period for growing. The average coldest annual temperature is between -10 and -20°F. While still very cold, it’s much more tolerable to wide range of plants than you might first think.
Like any zone, frost dates will vary slightly from year to year. It’s important to check the Old Farmer’s Almanac for more accurate weather predictions for the current year.
We’ve listed out a few of our zone 5 favorites below!
- Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® Mountain Hydrangea is, like the name suggests, super tough! New growth flowers all summer long, giving you a constant supply of beautiful color. Blooms will be baby blue or soft pink depending on soil chemistry!
- Pink Chiffon® Rose of Sharon is a large double-pink hibiscus that’ll bring both neighbors and hummingbirds to your garden to admire it!
- ‘Scentsation’ Honeysuckle is a favorite vine of ours, and we think it’ll be a favorite of yours too. Beautiful yellow blooms give off a wonderful scent and produce bright red berries that birds can’t resist. Trail it along a fence and watch it work its magic!
Annuals are always a fantastic way to expand your choice of plants, and you can try new varieties each year. If they’re planted between frost dates, most should fair just fine for the length of the growing season. However, it’s always important to consider your particular garden conditions. Hours of sunlight, soil conditions, and other factors will greatly impact how a plant preforms.
For a complete list of plants that are suitable for zone 5, click here! If you’d like to learn more about gardening zones in general then be sure to check out our blog The Ultimate Guide to Plant Hardiness Zones.
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