Hardiness zone guide
Plants for Zone 4
Winter lows of -30°F to -20°F set the rules here — short, intense seasons — plants here are the toughest in the catalog. Every plant below is proven hardy in Zone 4 and ranked by how many Sow gardeners actually grow it.
Most-saved Zone 4 plants
#1 most savedCheyenne Spirit Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Cheyenne Spirit'
#2 most savedButterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
#3 most savedMay Night Sage
Salvia nemorosa 'May Night'
Purple Coneflower Rainbow
Echinacea purpurea 'Rainbow'
Incrediball Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'
Old Farmyard Hollyhock
Alcea rosea 'Old Farmyard'
Butterfly Kisses Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Butterfly Kisses'
Butterfly Weed Gay Butterflies Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies'
Gay Butterflies Mix Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies Mix'
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias x hybrida
American Gold Rush Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta 'American Gold Rush'
Garden Phlox
Phlox paniculata 'Mix'
Walker's Low Catmint
Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low'
Mixed Border Blanket Flower
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mixed Border'
Prairie Phlox
Phlox pilosa
Autumn Colors Mix Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta 'Autumn Colors Mix'
Cinderella Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata 'Cinderella'
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Garden Phlox 'Rene Duval'
Phlox paniculata 'Rene Duval'
Lou Williams New England Aster
Aster novae-angliae 'Lou Williams'
Goldsturm Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'
New England Aster Harringtons Pink
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Harringtons Pink'
Wild Lupine
Lupinus perennis
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Zone 4 questions
What does USDA Zone 4 mean?
Zone 4 averages winter minimums of -30°F to -20°F. A plant rated for Zone 4 survives those lows in the ground — short, intense seasons — plants here are the toughest in the catalog.
When is the last frost in Zone 4?
Typically around mid-May, with first fall frost near late September. Local microclimates shift this by a week or two — Sow tracks your actual forecast and warns you before frost nights.
How many plants grow in Zone 4?
6,692 plants in the Sow catalog are hardy in Zone 4, from groundcovers to shade trees. The picks above are ranked by real gardeners, not editorial guesswork.
Keep exploring
Garden smarter in Zone 4
Sow knows your zone, tracks your real weather, and tells you what to plant, prune, and protect — week by week.