State Maps of USDA Hardiness Zones for Planting

This article is part of our Mulch Madness series. Mulch Madness is The Spruce's gardening "full court press"—a curation of our very best tips and product recommendations to help you create a truly trophy-worthy lawn and garden.

Choosing the right plants that will thrive in your yard and garden can be difficult. But one of the best ways to ensure that plants are happy and healthy is to start with plants suited to your USDA hardiness zone.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has kept temperature records for decades and published the first recommended growing zone map in 1960. The maps are based on extreme minimum temperatures to typical high temperatures. However, it's important to note they do not account for extreme maximum temperatures, so some plants may struggle.

These hardiness maps are an excellent guide for picking flowers, shrubs, trees, and herbs that are suited to your climate. When purchasing plants from a nursery, refer to the identification and care tag for hardiness zones. Some plants can survive low-temperature zones if brought indoors to overwinter.

Below, here's a list of 54 USDA hardiness / growing zone maps for the US states and a selection of territories and districts. To read each map, click on the picture or header to see the full-size map. Look for the color-coded legend of zones, and match up the correct color and zone to where you live. You can then choose plants suggested for that USDA zone.