Choose plants by Zone-specific flowers and crops to yield beauty and food, wherever you are.
Planting is about more than just growing food. We talk a lot about pollinator plots and vegetable gardens and all the tasks those entail, but sometimes, you might just want to look at something pretty. Which, you know, is totally fine, but please do use caution: A plant that’s pretty may also be invasive (ahem, kudzu).
Knowing your climate and Zone is more important than considering your region, so we’ll use Zone groupings to define the suggestions here. Every Zone has variables and microclimates, so reading up on your particular area is key and will provide more depth than a single article can cover. Despite this, some states have extreme differences in Zones, so we’ve included that within the listings.
Plants by Zone
- 3a to 5b: This region includes Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maine, Vermont, and at least half of Alaska, New Hampshire, New York, Colorado, and Illinois.
Growin’ in 3a to 5b
You’d think the biggest challenge of growing most anything in this area would be the chill. Except, it isn’t. Across most of the U.S., extreme temperature swings can occur in nearly any season. The worst temperature swings are variable, of course, but knowing to plan for heat surges up to 90 degrees F from a typical 75-degree summer is key to a happy summer garden in these Zones.
Food
- Alliums. This particular group of plants can be grown as food (onions, leeks, garlic) or simply to admire (‘Purple,’ ‘Lavender Globe Lily,’ ‘Giant’).
- Beans and peas. These crops are hardy and able to withstand low water levels. Bonus: You can harvest them many times throughout the season.
- Cherries and berries. Cherries, raspberries, and honeyberries all do well in summer, but research cultivars to find one suited to your microclimate.
- Leafy greens. Lettuce, kale, spinach, and just about anything you’d consider “salad” happily thrives in these Zones.
- Root crops. Radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips all do well in the touch-and-go frosty climate.
- Squash. There’s a reason giant pumpkin races happen in the North: Pumpkins get bigger there! Watch your frost dates; there’s a small window for optimal planting.
- Sunchokes. This starchy, sweet, watery tuber is native to the U.S. It’s a wonderful addition to any soup, and it deserves its own mention aside from other root crops.
Beauty
- Butterfly weed. Not to be mistaken as milkweed, this perennial can thrive in a northern garden and bring color and pollinators to your land.
- Common juniper. These trees are large and take some time to grow, but few things are more elegant than a juniper creating shade for the shade-loving plants in your garden.
- Dahlias. These dramatic blooms bring an enticing rainbow of color to the garden.
- Hostas. These leafy plants are hardier than you’d expect – plus, they’re edible! Use young shoots and blooms in a stir-fry.
- Mock orange. Mock orange isn’t only attractive, but it also thrives in difficult soils, such as beneath large trees.
- New Jersey tea plant. This native plant is stunning and will attract pollinators.
- Spotted wintergreen. It may look delicate, but this hardy little perennial brings a little lift to cool-region gardens.
- Strawflowers. These annuals may be a bit fussy as seedlings, but they paint a vivid impression when in bloom from spring to fall.
Growin’ in 6a to 7b
This temperate region of the U.S. spreads nearly coast to coast and has some of the largest variety of what you can grow. With topography ranging from mountain to high desert to rolling grassland to beautiful hill country to deep forest, most of this region experiences all four distinct seasons with what we Southerners consider “mild” summers. So, plan your garden in winter, plant in that beautiful spring after your last frost, and enjoy blazing colors in your flower beds and many harvests from your garden, even through autumn.
Food
- Asparagus. A bit of a tricky plant to grow, asparagus is well worth the three-season (or year) wait. Best harvested in late spring and early summer, a decent crop can render upward of 20 harvests.
- Ground cherry. Ground cherries look like tiny tomatoes and taste a bit like grapes. Start them indoors and have multiple harvests through the season.
- Herbs. You’ll want to wait until after your last frost, but herbs, such as basil, dill, thyme, and lavender (which could also easily fall into the “beauty” category), all do well, even up until winter in some areas.
- Pawpaw. Though native to about half of the contiguous U.S., pawpaw thrives in this region and fruits in late summer.
- Plum. A summer staple in many regions, plums are decently well-suited to the chillier region of the high desert, providing a nice treat in late summer.
- Pomegranate. Possibly a surprise to some, but pomegranates can do well in the West; however, they can be a bit fussy. They bloom in late spring and provide a nice harvest near autumn.
- Root crops. Carrots, beets, potatoes, radishes, garlic, and more thrive here.
- Wheat and alfalfa. The average climate here is perfect for these farm staples.
Beauty
- Amaranth. Easily considered dramatic, amaranth boasts both beauty and bounty, as it’s an ancient grain.
- Beardtongue. Beardtongue is a sturdy bloom that can withstand the peculiarity of growing on a mountainside in the
high desert. - Bee balm. This lovely perennial is a flowering mint that feels right at home in a temperate garden.
- Columbine. Another mountainous plant, these stunning blooms will bring joy every time you see them in the garden. However, they don’t appreciate excessive heat above about 90 degrees.
- Forsythia. This spring-flowering shrub’s foliage is breathtaking in midsummer, but it doesn’t do well in temperatures that stay above about 95 degrees.
- Hydrangea. Despite being popular across the U.S., hydrangeas seem to flourish in the Ohio Valley region.
- Nicotiana (flowering tobacco). These gorgeous plants range from a few inches to a few feet in height and work double-time as a trap crop for pests.
- Peony. Large blooms on these plants show off well into summer.
- Tulip. Tulips can grow most anywhere but particularly thrive in Zone 6a, giving way to many tulip festivals across the country.
Growin’ in 8a to 11b
The biggest hurdles to growing in this region are the heat and humidity – or lack thereof. With summer temperatures that consistently stay above 100 degrees, paired with extremes of alternating drought and rain, growing can be difficult. Climates here range from coastal to swamp, desert to thick evergreen forest and tropical paradise. Despite the challenges, this Zone range is home to many historic gardens and a wide variety of food crops.
Because of the heat in these Zones, watering more than once a day – at the root – is often necessary in summer.
Food
- Artichoke. Artichokes thrive in desert conditions. However, they can be a bit tricky to get started.
- Blackberry. In many of these Zones, blackberries can go beyond thriving to easily overtake your garden in a single season – particularly in Zone 8b.
- Citrus and stone fruits. There’s a reason some states are known for their fruits (oranges or peaches, anyone?). These are staples in many gardens in this region and provide shade from the swampy heat of summer.
- Collards. Collards can be tricky, and some areas are better-suited than others, but spring and fall plantings can result in early summer and winter harvests for this southern staple.
- Edamame. Soybean’s less grumpy cousin, this legume seemingly explodes in the desert heat.
- Luffa. Yes, that luffa (loofah). The wonderful thing about luffa is that beyond serving as food or a gorgeous vining plant in the garden, if you let the fruits mature, you can peel off the skin and have yourself a new sponge. Check your cultivars so you don’t end up waiting a year to be disappointed with a luffa that’s intended more a sponge than food or vice versa.
- Okra. Okra is truly best-suited to the hot and humid areas of the U.S., from East Texas to Florida and up to North Carolina. Some cooler states in 6a or 6b can grow okra as well, but it can get tricky if it’s too much colder.
- Southern peas. Purple hull and black-eyed peas flourish in this climate and often offer more than a few harvests.
- Squash. This area of the U.S. is particularly grand for an eggplant or zucchini harvest in midsummer before it gets too hot for them to have any flavor.
- Sweet potato. These grow so well in these Zones that there are whole festivals dedicated to them at fall harvest.
- Tomatillo. Tomatillos are citrusy, tangy, slightly sweet, and a staple in many places throughout the region.
Beauty
- Celosia. Cut back your celosias in spring for a large, shrubby appearance with flame-like blooms through summer and fall and even into winter.
- Dianthus. Another hardy little plant, dianthus make an excellent bed liner for most seasons in the South.
- Dogwood. A staple of the southern regions of the U.S., dogwoods bloom from early spring through midsummer.
- Geranium. This plant is particularly heat-tolerant and can bloom from early spring through late fall.
- Hibiscus. This shrub blooms beautifully in summer, dotting landscapes with color (and providing for a tart, heart-healthy tea).
- Iris. This hardy southern trademark will bloom from early spring to late fall, and if it’s feeling particularly frisky, an occasional bloom during warmer winters.
- Jojoba. A double-duty native Arizona shrub, jojoba is visually attractive, and the oil derived from the nut is useful for skin-care products.
- Pentas. Depending which part of the region you’re in, these bright blooms can be perennials or annuals.
- Petunia. The hotter, the better. This smallish plant does overtime in the heat of summer, sprouting more blooms with every increase in temperature.
- Salvia. Salvia can be grown in most areas of the U.S. but seems to reach full potential in the South, boasting heights of up to 5 feet.
- Snapdragon. These little beauties can and will quickly fill up a flower bed. They’ll cross-pollinate, so one season you may only plant two colors, but the next, you’re likely to have multiple new colors.
- Spirea. Shrubby and sturdy, spirea blooms in spring and early summer, and some varieties will have a second bloom near autumn.
- Succulents. It may be stereotypical, but succulents flourish in the dry heat of the desert, and the sheer variety can bring so much color to your xeriscape.
- Vinca. The blooms on vinca are hardy enough to withstand the heat and delicate enough to bring just a touch of color to your flower beds.
- Virgina creeper. This vining plant looks nice most of the year and creates shade for shade-loving plants if trellised. Don’t worry, though: If you don’t trellis it, it’ll just grow across the ground as a cover.
Growin’ All Over
Tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, zinnias, coneflowers, and cosmos can be grown in nearly every climate in the U.S. All tend to enjoy the heat a bit more, so they’re suitable for summer gardens, but there’s a cultivar for wherever you’re wanting to grow.
Learn to speak plant. They’ll tell you if they’re thriving or not based on their leaves, stems, blooms, and overall growth. Watering more isn’t always the answer. A plant could need more or less nutrition or be planted in too much sun, so pay close attention to what your plants are saying when they drop their leaves or have limited growth.
Most plants considered pretty can be pretty finicky. Some flowers simply have to be babied and, as such, should just stay in a pot to be moved as necessary. You don’t want to plant, say, an orchid in New York in October. It’ll die before Halloween. Put it in a pot in a warm space in your house or greenhouse.
As for wildlife traffic, don’t waste your time and money on plants that critters prefer to eat. Contrary to popular belief, plants do exist that your local wildlife despise (but people love). You’ll want to do some research for your specific area, as not all plants love all regions. For example, here in East Texas, pansies are basically “deer Skittles.” Deer will gobble them up quicker than you can snap your fingers.
Landscaping Tips
Keep your bushy and tall perennials behind your annuals, in the center of the bed. You don’t want to damage root systems of plants that’ll keep coming back (such as roses, azaleas, salvias, or blackberries) when you pull your annuals. The bonus here is that for seasonal color and plants, it’s basically plug and play, and you won’t have to redesign your bed or plot every season.
Read about your desired plants. If a plant likes shade, it won’t thrive in six-plus hours of sun. Your yard has microclimates; use them! There’s a misconception out there that all plants love all sun, but this isn’t true. Some prefer to hide behind another’s shade, while others want to be the one providing the shade.
Perennials tend to be larger and bushier than annuals and will starve out annuals or smaller plants around them. Trim them if they look stringy – they’ll come back bigger and bushier. Annuals, however, won’t.
Kenny and Karmin Garrison live on a 1-acre almost-homestead in East Texas. Their professional lives blend well, as Kenny is an organic landscaper and Karmin spends all her time editing agriculture magazines. When not working, neither of them stops talking about plants, video games, or their Native cultures. Except maybe to go fishing, though they aren’t making any promises then either.
