What's Your Hardiness Zone?
Natural Resources Canada's plant hardiness zone map provides insights about what can grow where, based on their natural resistance. The zones are defined by the average weather conditions of each region.
It's a great starting point if you're wondering if you can overwinter a particular plant, i.e. if it will survive the cold winter temperatures.
The map can help you choose plants that will thrive in your area.
For example, when a plant is said to be perennial in zones 3 to 5, it means that if you live in an area within that range, that plant will be suitable for your location.
The data and information on the map here merely reflects the most recent data collected and presented by Natural Resources Canada.
Gardeners should understand that this map is only a guide and not a guarantee of gardening success, as weather conditions are constantly changing and many other factors can affect the success and failure of plants.
In addition to using this map for reference, we recommend consulting with other gardeners who have "hands-on" experience with the weather and gardening patterns in your area.
We also recommend referring to our sowing and planting calendar that we developed after observing our very own garden for many years. If you live in a warmer region (i.e. Quebec City or Montreal, or in zone 5), you can sow and plant out 1-3 weeks earlier than mentioned in the calendar. If you live in a colder region (i.e. Sept-Îles or zone 3), sow indoors on the same dates, but plant out at least one week later.
Along with year-to-year climatic variations, microclimates can also play a role in determining the right plants for your garden.
Microclimates, which are small areas of varying weather patterns within larger areas, can be caused by the local geography of the area, such as hills and valleys, as well as variations in solar and wind exposure. Even buildings and roadways in urban areas can create relatively small microclimates that can potentially produce different gardening results.
The newly modified Canadian hardiness zone map is divided into ten main zones: the harshest is 0 and the mildest is 9 (the southern tip of Vancouver Island). Relatively few plants are suitable for zones 0 and 1.