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Canada's Hardiness Plant Zone

Select your province below and find your city to determine your Plant Hardiness Zone.

Finding your Canada's hardiness plant zone shouldn’t require guessing on a confusing map. This guide lists zones by city and province, so you know exactly which plants will survive your winter. Use it to plan your garden with confidence and avoid frost surprises.

Hardiness zones help you choose plants that can survive winter, but they don’t tell you when it’s safe to plant. That depends on your local frost dates.

← Climate Gardening || ➝ Frost Dates by Province

If you would like your province/city on this page - please let me know.

Sometimes I come to this page just to read other peoples' zones. Always curious! :)

British Columbia

Abbotsford – Zone 8a (-12.2°C to -9.4°C)
Campbell River – Zone 8a (-12.2°C to -9.4°C)
Chilliwack – Zone 8b (-9.4°C to -6.7°C)
Cranbrook – Zone 4b - 5a (-31.7°C to -26.1°C)
Kamloops – Zone 5b (-26.1°C to -23.3°C)
Kelowna – Zone 6a - 7a (-23.3°C to -15°C)
Maple Ridge – Zone 8a (-12.2°C to -9.4°C)
Nanaimo – Zone 8b (-9.4°C to -6.7°C)
Nelson – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Parksville – Zone 7b - 8b (-15°C to -6.7°C)
Prince George – Zone 4a - 4b (-34.5°C to -28.9°C)
Salmon Arm – Zone 6a - 6b (-23.3°C to -17.8°C)
Surrey – Zone 8b (-9.4°C to -6.7°C)
Telkwa – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Williams Lake – Zone 4b (-31.7°C to -28.9°C)
Vancouver – Zone 8b (-9.4°C to -6.7°C)
Victoria – Zone 9a (-6.7°C to -3.9°C)

Alberta

Banff – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Brooks – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Calgary – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Camrose – Zone 3b - 4a (-37.2°C to -31.7°C)
Claresholm – Zone 3b - 4a (-37.2°C to -31.7°C)
Edmonton – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Fort McMurray – Zone 2b (-42.8°C to -40°C)
Grande Prairie – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Lethbridge – Zone 4b (-31.7°C to -28.9°C)
Medicine Hat – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Red Deer – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Slave Lake – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Spruce Grove – Zone 3b - 4a (-37.2°C to -31.7°C)

To the lady that made the time to let me know
that I was missing "Saskatchewan" - Thank you! 🌷

Saskatchewan

Estevan – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Humboldt – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
La Ronge – Zone 2b (-42.8°C to -40°C)
Lloydminster – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Martensville – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Meadow Lake – Zone 2b (-42.8°C to -40°C)
Melfort – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Moose Jaw – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
North Battleford – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Prince Albert – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Regina – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Saskatoon – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Swift Current – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Warman – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Weyburn – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Yorkton – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)

Manitoba

Brandon – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Dauphin – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Flin Flon – Zone 2b (-42.8°C to -40°C)
Portage la Prairie – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Selkirk – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Steinbach – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
The Pas – Zone 2b (-42.8°C to -40°C)
Thompson – Zone 2a (-45.6°C to -42.8°C)
Winkler – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Winnipeg – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)

Ontario

Ajax – Zone 6b (-20.6°C to -17.8°C)
Apsley – Zone 4b (-31.7°C to -28.9°C)
Barrie – Zone 5a (-28.9°C to -26.1°C)
Belleville – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Bobcaygeon – Zone 4b - 5a (-31.7°C to -26.1°C)
Bowmanville – Zone 6a - 6b (-23.3°C to -17.8°C)
Brighton – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Burlington – Zone 6b - 7a (-20.6°C to -15°C)
Cobourg – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Colborne – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Colchester – Zone 6a - 6b (-23.3°C to -17.8°C)
Cornwall – Zone 5b - 6a (-26.1°C to -20.6°C)
Grimsby – Zone 7a (-17.8°C to -15°C)
Hamilton – Zone 6b - 7a (-20.6°C to -15°C)
Kingston – Zone 5b (-26.1°C to -23.3°C)
London – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Niagara Falls – Zone 6a - 6b (-23.3°C to -17.8°C)
North Bay – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Ottawa – Zone 5a (-28.9°C to -26.1°C)
Prescott – Zone 5b (-26.1°C to -23.3°C)
St. Catharines – Zone 6a - 6b (-23.3°C to -17.8°C)
Stirling – Zone 5a - 5b (-28.9°C to -23.3°C)
Sudbury – Zone 4b (-31.7°C to -28.9°C)
Thunder Bay – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Toronto – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Windsor – Zone 7a (-17.8°C to -15°C)

Quebec

Brigham – Zone 5b - 6a (-26.1°C to -20.6°C)
Chicoutimi – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)
Gatineau – Zone 5a (-28.9°C to -26.1°C)
Montreal – Zone 6a (-23.3°C to -20.6°C)
Quebec City – Zone 5a (-28.9°C to -26.1°C)
Rimouski – Zone 4a (-34.5°C to -31.7°C)
Rouyn-Noranda – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Lasalle – Zone 6a - 6b (-23.3°C to -17.8°C)
Sept-Îles – Zone 3a (-40°C to -37.2°C)
Sherbrooke – Zone 4b (-31.7°C to -28.9°C)
Trois-Rivières – Zone 4b (-31.7°C to -28.9°C)
Val-d'Or – Zone 3b (-37.2°C to -34.5°C)

Lion Gardener Tips – Hardiness Zones

• 💡 Zone Edge Plants: If a plant is rated for zone 5 and you’re in zone 4, plant near a south-facing wall or under shelter to give it a survival boost.

• 💡 Urban Heat Islands: City gardens can behave like the next warmer zone due to buildings and pavement — use this to grow marginal plants safely.

• 💡 Microclimate Magic: Garden near trees, fences, or rocks for protection — it can create a small area warmer than your official zone.

• 💡 Winter Mulch: Even hardy plants benefit from mulching, especially in exposed Prairie or northern zones.

• 💡 Check Soil & Drainage: Cold-hardy zones don’t account for soggy soils — plant on raised beds if waterlogging occurs.

• 💡 Quick Reference: Combine hardiness zone with frost dates to pick the best planting window — tables tell the minimum temperature, but timing avoids frost damage.

• 💡 Borderline Plants: Experiment with plants rated 1 zone higher using protection — you might find some surprises survive.

Hardiness Zones in Canada

Tip: Zones are estimates. Local microclimates, wind exposure and elevation can affect your actual planting conditions. When in doubt, ask a nearby nursery!
"Canada's official plant hardiness zones are based on data from 1981 to 2010. But local conditions are changing — many areas may be a little warmer now, especially near cities or lakes."

Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones: Canada vs. U.S.

Plant hardiness zones help gardeners choose plants that can survive the winter in their area. Both Canada and the U.S. use numbered zones (like Zone 3, Zone 6, etc.), but they aren't always exactly the same. The U.S. system is based only on the lowest winter temperatures. In Canada, our zones also consider other factors like wind, snow cover and how long the growing season is. That means a Zone 6 in Canada may still be colder and shorter than a Zone 6 in the U.S. If you're looking at a U.S. seed packet or planting guide, it's safest to choose plants rated for a slightly colder zone than your own—just to be sure they'll survive our Canadian conditions!

Hardiness Zones: Same Numbers, Different Winters

Think of plant zones like snow boots: size 6 in the U.S. might keep your toes cozy in a light frost, but here in Canada, size 6 better come with wool socks and a shovel. Both countries use numbered zones to tell us how cold it gets, but the Canadian system takes more into account—like wind, snow cover, and how long our garden season actually lasts. That means a U.S. Zone 6 might feel like a mild fall, while Canadian Zone 6 is still brushing snow off the daffodils.