USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5 cuts a swath across the middle of the United States, including areas from Colorado to Ohio, but it also zig-zags upward to include Pacific regions in Washington and Northern states from Pennsylvania to Maine. Climates in these diverse states vary, but the common denominator is the average low winter temperature, which ranges from -20 to -10 degrees F.

Many ornamental plants as well as a variety of fruiting plants thrive in Zone 5, such as:

Trees

Deciduous

These trees are prized for their fall foliage or winter form:

• October Glory Maple (Acer rubrum 'October Glory') – a cultivar of the American red maple tree, October Glory has reddish-orange fall leaves and a rounded form
• Autumn Purple Ash (Fraxinus americana 'Autumn Purple') – an unusual fall leaf coloration of purple shading against yellow leaves
• Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) – with arching branches that cascade to the ground, this tree is suitable for moist sites along ponds and streams

Evergreen Trees

Grow these evergreen trees as privacy hedges or wind screens:

• Emerald Green Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald Green') – fast-growing and disease-resistant with a pyramidal shape
• Skyrocket Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum 'Skyrocket') – a slender tree with bluish-green foliage that fills in narrow spaces

Flowering Trees

Depend on these trees to add vibrant color in your landscape:

• Jane Magnolia (Magnolia x 'Jane') – a smaller magnolia tree (10-15 feet) that is covered in lovely tulip-shaped pink flowers in late spring to early summer
• Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) – a flurry of white flowers in early spring on multiple trees will transform your transitioning winter-to-spring landscape
• Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) – higher disease resistance than other dogwood species; also with a later and longer bloom season

Shrubs and Hedges

Choose evergreen shrubs that fill in bare spots and complement your overall landscape design, such as:

• Dwarf Hinoki Cypress (Chamacyperis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis') – striking two-toned soft-needled leaves of dark green with lighter-green accents on full plants
• Hetz Midget Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget') – a disease-resistant conifer with a rounded shape
• Soft Touch Holly (Ilex crenata 'Soft Touch') – this touch-friendly holly has no sharp spines

A superior flowering shrub:

• Endless Summer Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer') – large mophead flowers on deciduous plants that bloom repeatedly throughout the growing season

Roses

Three stellar rose choices for Zone 5 gardens:

• Knock Out Rose (Rosa x Knock Out®) – choose your favorite color (pink, red or yellow) and enjoy continuous blooming without needing to deadhead the spent flowers
• Oso Easy Rose (Rosa x Oso Easy®) – disease-resistant plants with single or double flowers (depending on cultivar) and no deadheading needed to keep plants in continuous bloom
• Drift Roses (Rosa 'Apricot Drift') – a breakthrough in nonstop-blooming roses, offering disease resistance with a low-spreading habit that forms a groundcover

Fruit Trees

Zone 5 offers gardeners the opportunity to grow many types of fruits, including:

Apples

• Honeycrisp Apple (Malus domestica 'Honeycrisp') – sweet and crisp (plant another variety for cross-pollination)
• Dwarf McIntosh Apple (Malus domestica 'McIntosh') – a shorter version of the full-sized cultivar (plant another apple tree nearby for cross-pollination)

Cherries

• Dwarf Bing Cherry (Prunus avium 'Bing') – full-sized sweet cherries on dwarf-sized trees
• Rainier Cherry (Prunus avium 'Rainier') – cold-hardy trees with heavy yields

Peaches

• Contender Peach (Prunus persica 'Contender') – Contender produces flowers later than other types of peaches, so the buds aren't killed by late-spring frosts and your harvest is saved
• Dwarf Elberta Peach (Prunus persica 'Elberta') – a classic peach for smaller landscapes

Pears

• D'Anjou Pear (Pyrus communis 'Anjou') – a versatile pear that's good for snacking and a superior dessert pear for baking
• Bartlett Pear (Pyrus 'Bartlett') – sweet for snacking

Plums

• Methley Plum (Prunus salicina) – vigorous trees with large harvests of sweet plums
• Santa Rosa Plum (Prunus salicina) – the choice of commercial growers that's easily grown by backyard orchardists

Berries

• Sweetheart Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Sweetheart') – you'll harvest two crops of blueberries each year from these plants
• Pink Lemonade Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Pink Lemonade') – same blueberry taste from berries that are colored pink
• Heritage Raspberry (Rubus idaeus 'Heritage') – a low-maintenance plant that produces loads of berries
• Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry (Rubus 'Triple Crown') – harvesting is safer on these thornless plants