Planting calendar

Zone 5 Planting Calendar

In zone 5 the last spring frost typically passes late April to mid-May and the first fall frost arrives early to mid-October. The classic four-season garden calendar. The calendar below hangs every planting window on those two dates.

How this calendar is made

Derived from each plant's type, USDA hardiness zones and bloom months, crossed with zone 5's typical frost dates, as stored in the BloomsEye library, which was written with AI assistance. Of these 1,600 plants, 636 have been checked against outside sources (96 fully verified); the rest have not been checked yet, and each plant's own page says which. The cards are AI-generated illustrations. Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.

Prefer pictures? Browse every plant hardy in zone 5.

January in zone 5

Deep winter in zone 5: the ground is closed and the last frost is still ahead (late April to mid-May). A month for planning, not planting. Browse the guides.

February in zone 5

Deep winter in zone 5: the ground is closed and the last frost is still ahead (late April to mid-May). A month for planning, not planting. Browse the guides or see what is in flower in February in zone 5.

March in zone 5

One more month of winter in zone 5: hardy planting opens in April, as the soil loosens ahead of the late April to mid-May last frost. Browse the guides or see what is in flower in March in zone 5.

April in zone 5

Frost is still likely until late April to mid-May, but the soil is opening: hardy plants can go in as soon as it is workable.

Perennials, shrubs and trees961

Showing 30 of 961; every plant hardy here is on the zone 5 hub.

Bulbs to plant5

Start a zone 5 April planting list in the Studio

Already planted? See what is in flower in April in zone 5.

May in zone 5

Frost danger in zone 5 typically ends late April to mid-May, so the tender plants below go in as that date passes where you are, not before it.

The perennial, shrub and tree window that opened in April is still open (961 plants).

The bulb window that opened in April is still open (5 plants).

The cool-season annual window that opened in April is still open (28 plants).

Start a zone 5 May planting list in the Studio

Already planted? See what is in flower in May in zone 5.

June in zone 5

The perennial, shrub and tree window that opened in April is still open (961 plants).

The tender planting window that opened in May is still open (475 plants).

Already planted? See what is in flower in June in zone 5.

July in zone 5

Zone 5 sits well between frosts this month; the season runs until early to mid-October.

Perennials, shrubs and trees1

Bearded Iris

Already planted? See what is in flower in July in zone 5.

August in zone 5

The soil is still warm and the first frost (early to mid-October) is weeks away: the fall planting window opens now.

Perennials, shrubs and trees977

Showing 30 of 977; every plant hardy here is on the zone 5 hub.

The perennial, shrub and tree window that opened in July is still open (1 plant).

Start a zone 5 August planting list in the Studio

Already planted? See what is in flower in August in zone 5.

September in zone 5

About a month remains before the typical first frost (early to mid-October): prime time for fall planting.

In the ground this September: start with these

Bulbs to plant119

Showing 30 of 119; every plant hardy here is on the zone 5 hub.

The perennial, shrub and tree window that opened in July is still open (1 plant).

The perennial, shrub and tree window that opened in August is still open (934 plants).

Start a zone 5 September planting list in the Studio

Already planted? See what is in flower in September in zone 5.

October in zone 5

The bulb window that opened in September is still open (119 plants).

Already planted? See what is in flower in October in zone 5.

November in zone 5

November sits just past zone 5's typical first frost (early to mid-October): the ground is closing, and next year's plan is the best thing to plant. Browse the guides or see what is in flower in November in zone 5.

December in zone 5

The garden sleeps in zone 5 through December; hardy planting returns in April, ahead of the late April to mid-May last frost. Browse the guides.

Timing here is anchored to typical zone frost averages (NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, as summarized in university extension frost tables). Your local dates can differ by several weeks, so confirm the last and first frost dates for your own area.

Design your garden

Drop plants onto a 3D plan, see how they fill in, and watch the whole garden bloom across the year.

Open BloomsEye Studio →