Zone 9

Zone 9 Information

Zone 9 is found in the lower sections of Florida, Texas, and Mexico. California and Arizona are primarily comprised of Zone 9. This zone can be hot and humid in most places during a good part of the year. Arizona tends to be a drier heat. Take care to keep your garden watered in the blazing summer heat. You'll find many plant choices available for this zone. Even a few bulbs, such as tree peonies, can grow well in this warm climate. They need at least two weeks at 35 to 40 degrees to bloom.

Zone 9 was divided in 1990 into two areas by the National Arboretum to provide gardeners with even more environmental detail: 9a and 9b

9a - Minimum temperature of 20 to 25 F (-3.9 to -6.6 C) Places like Houston, Texas and St. Augustine, Florida.

9b - Minimum temperature of 25 to 30 F (-1.2 to -3.8 C) Places like Brownsville, Texas and Fort Pierce, Florida.

Here's a partial list of plants that thrive in Zone 9

Coleus

(Coleus x hybridus "Carefree Mix")

Leopard's Bane

(Doronicum cordatum)

Bearded Iris

(Iris x germanica 'Blue')

Big-Leaf Hydrangea

(Hydrangea macrophylla 'Glowing Embers')

New Guinea Impatiens

(Impatiens hawkei 'Satellite')

Pink Jasmine

(Jasminum polyanthemum)

Chinese Foxglove

(Rehmannia elata)

Blue Palo Verde

(Cercidium floridum)

Jerusalem Sage

(Pulmonaria saccharata 'Sissinghurst White')