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Zone 5 Plants

USDA hardiness zone 5 covers places where an average winter bottoms out at -20 to -10°F. 2,000 species in our library survive it. Below is a sample of them, with mature size, spacing and a nursery price estimate.

Not sure which zone you are in? Look it up by ZIP code

Zone 5a and zone 5b

Both halves grow the same plants — hardiness ranges in our library are whole numbers — but they are not the same winter. Zone 5a bottoms out around -20 to -15°F and 5b around -15 to -10°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 5

Zone 5 loses more plants to freeze-and-thaw than to cold. The ground freezes, a warm week thaws it, and it freezes again — and each cycle lifts shallow-rooted perennials a little further out of the soil until the roots are sitting in air. This is why mulch here goes on after the ground has frozen, to keep it frozen, rather than in autumn, which keeps it warm.

Showing 36 of 2,000, sorted to span the back, middle and front of a bed.

Zone 5

Typical annual minimum temperature: -20 to -10°F

2,000 species in our library match this zone and light

  • Amabilis fir

    Abies amabilis

    tree
    Zones
    5–5
    Spacing
    20–30 ft
    Mature height
    98–260 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Burrow Weed

    Isocoma pluriflora

    shrub
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    3–5 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • 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

  • 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

  • Fremont Barberry

    Berberis fremontii

    shrub
    Zones
    5–5
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    9–16 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Doghobble

    Leucothoe fontanesiana

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

  • Common Heather

    Calluna vulgaris

    shrub
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    1–2 ft
    Mature height
    0.33–2 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55
  • Northwind Switchgrass

    Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'

    grass
    Zones
    5–9
    Spacing
    2–3 ft
    Mature height
    4–5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • 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

  • Abies grandis

    Abies grandis

    tree
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    20–26 ft
    Mature height
    130–230 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Pumila Norway Spruce

    Picea abies 'Pumila'

    shrub
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    2–5 ft
    Mature height
    3–4 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Woolly Yarrow

    Achillea tomentosa

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–7
    Spacing
    0.67–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–0.67 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Flying Saucers

    Ipomoea tricolor

    vine
    Zones
    2–12
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    8–10 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

  • Caucasian Fir

    Abies nordmanniana

    tree
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    15–25 ft
    Mature height
    40–60 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Fetterbush

    Pieris floribunda

    shrub
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    3–4 ft
    Mature height
    4–6 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Pheasant's Eye

    Adonis aestivalis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–7
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.67–2 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

  • 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

  • Blue Douglas Fir

    Pseudotsuga menziesii

    tree
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    12–20 ft
    Mature height
    40–80 ft
    Est. price
    $150–260

  • Aromatic Sumac

    Rhus trilobata

    shrub
    Zones
    4–6
    Spacing
    3–8 ft
    Mature height
    2–3 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Bearberry

    Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

    shrub
    Zones
    3–7
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Virginia Creeper

    Parthenocissus quinquefolia

    vine
    Zones
    3–10
    Spacing
    5–10 ft
    Mature height
    30–50 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

  • Royal Azalea

    Rhododendron schlippenbachii

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

  • Aconite

    Aconitum

    perennial
    Zones
    3–7
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    3–4 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Basket-of-Gold

    Aurinia saxatilis

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–7
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 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

  • 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 5

Neighbouring zones

Zone 4 — one step colderZone 6 — 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.