Dallas, Texas, is located in USDA Hardiness Zone 8, which encompasses the state's largest geographic area, and 8a and 8b include Central Texas. The area from El Paso to Dallas-Fort Worth enjoys the benefits of 8a, while 8b covers the area from the Rio Grande through San Antonio and Austin to Nacogdoches and the state's eastern border. Average low temperatures in winter range from 10 to 20 °F. Based on the 1990 USDA hardiness zone map, this interactive version covers the state of Texas, ranging from zone 6a to zone 9b of USED.
This zone covers a strip that extends from the New Mexico border in western Texas to small sections of the eastern borders of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Knowing your specific area can make the difference between losing the least resistant plants due to winter frosts and preventing them from freezing in the extreme heat of higher areas. Zone 6b, in the northernmost part of the state, around the cities of Amarillo, Canyon and Hereford, averages 18 inches of snow per year. It's important to know your specific growing zone to ensure that the time you spend in your garden is the best chance of success.
With almost no winter to talk about, average low temperatures range between 30 and 40° F and allow gardening all year round. This system divides the United States and Canada into eleven zones, based on the average minimum temperatures in winter. Monitoring your gardening experiences can show that you can grow plants in slightly colder or warmer areas. Gardeners in the northernmost part of the state, who often see snow and ice in winter, can't grow the subtropical plants enjoyed by coastal gardeners.
of the Gulf. You can also expand your plant options slightly beyond your zone if your property includes areas of microclimates at a different height or with more or less protection from the elements, resulting in slightly different temperatures and conditions within your property or general location. Experienced gardeners rely on plant information from the hardiness zone established by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). As the second largest state in the United States, the Texas landscape includes four different USDA zones.
Once you've identified your area, read magazines, catalogs, and websites and visit nurseries to find out which plant palette will be most suitable nice for your garden. Identifying these conditions in your garden will help you understand the correct plant profiles for your garden or the changes needed for various plants to thrive. If your gardening wish list includes plants that aren't hardy in your area, consider planting them in pots that can be brought indoors during extreme winter. Labeling and plant growth information are sometimes limited to “Texas,” making it difficult to identify which of the many USDA Texas areas are appropriate places for cultivation.
