Good gardening advice stops at the border.

Colder winters and warmer summers the further east you go.

Zones

USDA 6a–8a · continental to maritime

Last frost:

Mid May, after the Ice Saints

Cold, snowy winters and warm summers with thunderstorms.

Zones

USDA 5b–7a · continental

Last frost:

Mid May

Two rainy seasons and remarkably steady temperatures at altitude.

Zones

Equatorial highlands to semi-arid

Last frost:

Only on high mountain slopes

Four crisp seasons, a summer rainy season, and typhoons in late summer.

Zones

USDA 5a–11a · humid temperate to subtropical

Last frost:

March to May by region

Short intense summers and long committed winters, softened on both coasts.

Zones

Canadian 0–9 · continental to maritime

Last frost:

Mid May to mid June

Altitude decides everything. Rain arrives in a defined summer wet season.

Zones

Arid highlands to tropical coasts

Last frost:

February in the highlands

From Alaskan tundra to Florida subtropics. Your zone matters more than your country.

Zones

USDA 2a–11b · every climate there is

Last frost:

January to June depending on zone

Short summers with astonishing daylight, and long dark winters that plants sleep through.

Zones

USDA 3a–8a · long light summers

Last frost:

Mid May to mid June

Cool, wet and remarkably even. The growing season is long but never hot.

Zones

USDA 8a–9a · maritime temperate

Last frost:

Late April

Reversed seasons, fierce summer sun, and rainfall that arrives all at once or not at all.

Zones

Tropical to cool temperate · often water-limited

Last frost:

August in cool regions, none in the tropics

Mild, wet and windy, with intense sunlight thanks to thin ozone cover.

Zones

Subtropical north to cool temperate south

Last frost:

September inland

Wet and dry seasons rather than hot and cold. Growth is relentless.

Zones

Tropical to subtropical

Last frost:

Only in the far south

The monsoon organises the whole gardening year.

Zones

Arid to tropical monsoon to alpine

Last frost:

January in the north, none in the south

Two opposite rainfall patterns in one country, plus extraordinary native flora.

Zones

Mediterranean Cape to summer-rainfall highveld

Last frost:

August on the highveld

Hot dry summers on the coast, real winters in the north and the mountains.

Zones

USDA 7b–10b · Mediterranean to alpine

Last frost:

Late March in the south, mid May in the Alps

Atlantic softening keeps summers slightly kinder than inland Iberia.

Zones

USDA 9a–10b · Atlantic Mediterranean

Last frost:

February on the coast

Long hot summers, sharp inland winters, and a genuine water budget to respect.

Zones

USDA 8a–11a · Mediterranean to semi-arid

Last frost:

February on the coast, April inland

Mild, damp and grey more often than not. Rarely very hot, rarely very cold.

Zones

USDA 8a–8b · maritime temperate

Last frost:

Mid April

Almost every European climate inside one border, from Brittany drizzle to Provence heat.

Zones

USDA 6b–10a · oceanic to Mediterranean

Last frost:

March to mid May by region

Wind, light and water. Long soft springs, wet autumns, few extremes.

Zones

USDA 8a–8b · maritime temperate

Last frost:

Mid April