Planting Zone 12a: Plants That Grow in USDA Hardiness Zone 12a

What Temperatures Define Hardiness Zone 12a?

Hardiness zone 12a is defined by an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 50 °F to 55 °F (10 °C to 12.8 °C). This is the colder half of zone 12, which spans 50 °F to 60 °F in total.

The value is a 30-year average of each winter's single coldest night, taken from 1991–2020 weather records for the 2023 USDA map. Individual winters regularly run a few degrees colder, so plants rated exactly to zone 12abenefit from mulch and a sheltered spot. Gardeners who don't know their zone yet can look up their USDA hardiness zone by ZIP code before comparing plants.

Which States Are in Hardiness Zone 12a?

Zone 12a doesn't occur in the contiguous United States. On the 2023 USDA map it is found in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, which the USDA ZIP code table doesn't cover.

What Plants Grow in Zone 12a?

231 plants in PlantoScan's catalogue are hardy in zone 12a, meaning zone 12a falls inside their hardiness range. They include 43 trees, 48 shrubs, 13 perennials, herbs & flowers, 83 vines & climbers.

Which Popular Plants Aren't Hardy in Zone 12a?

These popular plants need a warmer zone than 12a to survive winter outdoors. Grow them as houseplants, in containers that move indoors before the first frost, or as annuals replanted each spring.

• 

  Wax Begonia

  Begonia obliqua

  Zone 12b – 13b

  Eric Knight · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized

• 

  Anthurium Clarinervium

  Anthurium clarinervium

  Zone 12b – 13b

  Image: PlantoScan

• 

  Anthurium Luxurians

  Anthurium luxurians

  Zone 12b – 13

  AI generated

• 

  Anthurium Papillilaminum

  Anthurium papillilaminum

  Zone 12b – 13b

  AI generated

How Do You Garden Successfully in Zone 12a?

Successful zone 12a gardens rely on perennials, shrubs and trees rated to zone 12 or colder. Plants rated right at zone 12a survive typical winters but benefit from mulch, windbreaks and a spot near a warm wall.

A hardiness zone describes winter cold only. Planting dates follow your local last spring frost and first fall frost, which differ by weeks within zone 12a — a last frost date calculator by ZIP code gives the dates for your garden. Summer heat, rainfall and soil drainage decide whether a hardy plant thrives. Microclimates matter as well: raised beds, slopes and paved areas warm up faster, while low ground collects cold air on still nights.