Hardiness zone guide
Plants for Zone 5
Winter lows of -20°F to -10°F set the rules here — classic northern gardening with a reliable snow blanket. Every plant below is proven hardy in Zone 5 and ranked by how many Sow gardeners actually grow it.
Most-saved Zone 5 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'
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Incrediball Hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball'
Walker's Low Catmint
Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low'
Purple Coneflower Rainbow
Echinacea purpurea 'Rainbow'
American Gold Rush Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta 'American Gold Rush'
Pugster Amethyst Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii 'Pugster Amethyst'
Old Farmyard Hollyhock
Alcea rosea 'Old Farmyard'
Zinnia Raggedy Ann
Zinnia elegans 'Raggedy Ann'
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias x hybrida
Mixed Border Blanket Flower
Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mixed Border'
Butterfly Kisses Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Butterfly Kisses'
Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'
Prairie Phlox
Phlox pilosa
Gay Butterflies Mix Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies Mix'
New England Aster Harringtons Pink
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Harringtons Pink'
Butterfly Weed Gay Butterflies Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies'
Butterfly Garden Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa 'Deluxe Butterfly Garden'
Garden Phlox
Phlox paniculata 'Mix'
Limelight Hydrangea
Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'
Common Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
Green Velvet Boxwood
Buxus sempervirens 'Green Velvet'
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Zone 5 questions
What does USDA Zone 5 mean?
Zone 5 averages winter minimums of -20°F to -10°F. A plant rated for Zone 5 survives those lows in the ground — classic northern gardening with a reliable snow blanket.
When is the last frost in Zone 5?
Typically around early May, with first fall frost near early October. 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 5?
9,264 plants in the Sow catalog are hardy in Zone 5, from groundcovers to shade trees. The picks above are ranked by real gardeners, not editorial guesswork.
Keep exploring
Garden smarter in Zone 5
Sow knows your zone, tracks your real weather, and tells you what to plant, prune, and protect — week by week.