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Zone 4 Plants

USDA hardiness zone 4 covers places where an average winter bottoms out at -30 to -20°F. 1,274 species in our library survive it. Below is a sample of them, with mature size, spacing and a nursery price estimate.

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Zone 4a and zone 4b

Both halves grow the same plants — hardiness ranges in our library are whole numbers — but they are not the same winter. Zone 4a bottoms out around -30 to -25°F and 4b around -25 to -20°F. The colder half freezes earlier in autumn and thaws later in spring, so the same plant goes in the ground a week or two later there.

What is actually hard about zone 4

The constraint here is the length of the season, not the depth of the cold. Zone 4 gets roughly a third of the year frost-free, so a perennial has to establish, flower and store energy for winter in that window. Snow matters more than the thermometer: bare ground at -25°F is harder on roots than -30°F under a foot of snow, because snow insulates. The winter that kills is the one that is both cold and bare.

Showing 36 of 1,274, sorted to span the back, middle and front of a bed.

Zone 4

Typical annual minimum temperature: -30 to -20°F

1,274 species in our library match this zone and light

  • Glaucous Honeysuckle

    Lonicera dioica

    shrub
    Zones
    3–5
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    3–10 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Garland Spirea

    Spiraea x arguta

    shrub
    Zones
    4–4
    Spacing
    5–6 ft
    Mature height
    5–6 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Catchfly

    Silene acaulis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–5
    Spacing
    0.67–0.83 ft
    Mature height
    0.17–0.33 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Japanese Spikenard

    Aralia cordata 'Sun King'

    perennial
    Zones
    4–8
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    3–6 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Blue False Indigo

    Baptisia australis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–9
    Spacing
    3–4 ft
    Mature height
    3–4 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Creeping Phlox

    Phlox subulata

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–9
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    0.25–0.5 ft
    Est. price
    $5–12

  • Mongolian Lime

    Tilia mongolica

    tree
    Zones
    3–5
    Spacing
    15–25 ft
    Mature height
    20–30 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Pale Corydalis

    Capnoides sempervirens

    perennial
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    1–2 ft
    Mature height
    1–4 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Golden Flat Juniper

    Juniperus communis var. depressa 'Aurea'

    shrub
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    4–6 ft
    Mature height
    1–2 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Flying Saucers

    Ipomoea tricolor

    vine
    Zones
    2–12
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    8–10 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Bleeding Heart

    Lamprocapnos spectabilis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–9
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    2–3 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Cimbru

    Satureja hortensis

    perennial
    Zones
    2–11
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Common Larch

    Larix decidua

    tree
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    20–30 ft
    Mature height
    60–100 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Sweet Fern

    Comptonia peregrina

    shrub
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    4–8 ft
    Mature height
    2–5 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Bird's Nest Spruce

    Picea abies 'Nidiformis'

    shrub
    Zones
    3–6
    Spacing
    2–5 ft
    Mature height
    1–2 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Everlasting Pea

    Lathyrus

    vine
    Zones
    2–11
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    1–9 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Eastern Red Columbine

    Aquilegia canadensis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–8
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    2–3 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Blunt-lobed Cliff Fern

    Woodsia obtusa

    perennial
    Zones
    1–10
    Spacing
    2–2.5 ft
    Mature height
    1–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Hairy Honeysuckle

    Lonicera hirsuta

    vine
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    3–5 ft
    Mature height
    3–16 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Common Juniper 'Compressa'

    Juniperus communis 'Compressa'

    shrub
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    1–2 ft
    Mature height
    2–6 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Sweet White Violet

    Viola blanda

    groundcover
    Zones
    2–7
    Spacing
    0.75–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.25–0.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Virginia Creeper

    Parthenocissus quinquefolia

    vine
    Zones
    3–10
    Spacing
    5–10 ft
    Mature height
    30–50 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Deutschland Astilbe

    Astilbe japonica 'Deutschland'

    perennial
    Zones
    4–9
    Spacing
    1.5–2 ft
    Mature height
    1.5–2 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Cranesbill

    Geranium maculatum

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–11
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    1.17–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Black Hills Spruce

    Picea laxa

    tree
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    10–20 ft
    Mature height
    40–60 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Canadian Juniper

    Juniperus communis var. depressa

    tree
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    8–12 ft
    Mature height
    3–4 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Macloskey's Violet

    Viola macloskeyi

    groundcover
    Zones
    2–7
    Spacing
    0–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.08–0.33 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Baltimore Belle rose

    Rosa 'Belle de Baltimore'

    perennial
    Zones
    4–11
    Spacing
    6–10 ft
    Mature height
    8–13 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Eastern Wood Fern

    Dryopteris marginalis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–8
    Spacing
    1.5–3 ft
    Mature height
    1.5–2 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Ajuga

    Ajuga reptans

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–10
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • American Mountain Ash

    Sorbus americana

    tree
    Zones
    2–6
    Spacing
    8–20 ft
    Mature height
    15–35 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Gray's Lily

    Lilium grayi

    perennial
    Zones
    4–5
    Spacing
    0–0.83 ft
    Mature height
    4–6 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Canadian Wild Ginger

    Asarum canadense

    groundcover
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    0.33–0.5 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Rosa The Generous Gardener 'AUSdrawn'

    Rosa The Generous Gardener 'AUSdrawn'

    vine
    Zones
    4–11
    Spacing
    3–4 ft
    Mature height
    5–10 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Blazing Star 'Kobold'

    Liatris spicata 'Kobold'

    perennial
    Zones
    3–8
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    1.5–2.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Alpine Violet

    Cyclamen

    perennial
    Zones
    4–11
    Spacing
    0.67–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.33–1 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

Put these in your own yard

Upload a photo of the space and get a design back using plants that survive your winter.

Design a garden for zone 4

Neighbouring zones

Zone 5 — one step milder

Where these numbers come from

Zone boundaries come from PRISM Climate Group's 2023 plant-hardiness dataset at Oregon State University, covering 40,502 US ZIP codes. Hardiness range, light requirement and mature size are checked against the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

Price is an estimate sampled from published 2026 nursery price lists by container size, and varies by region, season and supplier. This is not the official USDA map and it cannot account for soil, drainage, wind, local microclimates or planting restrictions. Confirm a final purchase with a local nursery.