Zone 3 Trees & Plants

Zone 3 Trees

• The swamp white oak is an option for damp, acidic sites within zone 3. This oak grows to 60 feet and features yellow to purple fall foliage. Bur, black and white oak also grow within zone 3, as does sugar, Freeman, Norway, silver, red, tatarian and Amur maple species. Ohio buckeye, horse chestnut, paper birch, hackberry, grey birch, butternut, white ash, green ash and black gum are zone 3 tree options. American beech grows into zone 3 in its eastern sections, maturing to 80 feet and generating edible beechnuts in the fall. Useful in large open areas, this beech possesses a smooth gray bark that makes it a stand out in the landscape.

Zone 3 Needled Evergreens

• Many needled evergreens, both in tree and shrub form, handle the climate in zone 3. Used as specimen plants, foundation plants, privacy screens, hedges and windbreaks, these evergreen species have great variations in size. Among the tallest are balsam fir, white fir, Dahurian larch, tamarack, Yezo spruce, Engelmenn spruce, red pine, Ponderosa pine and eastern white pine -- all top 70 feet high. Small cultivars of needled evergreens, some suitable as ground cover, include many types of junipers such as Prince of Wales and an array of pines, like the 12-inch tall Repens cultivar of Scotch pine. Colorado blue spruce and its multiple cultivar forms feature rigid, bluish-green needles that separate it from most other kinds of evergreens in this zone.

Zone 3 Deciduous Shrubs

• Red twig, yellow twig and tatarian dogwood are deciduous shrubs able to survive the winters of USDA zone 3. All three species feature flowers and ornamental fruit. Eastern wahoo serves as an informal hedge in zone 3, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden, growing between 12 and 20 feet and generating attractive red fruit; all parts of this shrub, though, are toxic to humans. The panicle hydrangea and the smooth hydrangea are appropriate flowering shrubs for zone 3. Winterberry, with cultivars of heights ranging from 30 inches to 12 feet high, is a type of holly that turns out abundant red fruit. American elder, fragrant sumac and ninebark are deciduous shrub options for a zone 3 yard.

Zone 3 Perennials

• Residents of USDA zone 3 have a large assortment of perennials to choose from when planning a landscape. Among them are hollyhock, yarrow, bugbane, bellflower, columbine, milkweed, coneflower, bleeding heart, pinks and coreopsis. Yellow adder's tongue is a shade-loving wildflower, growing to 6 inches and flowering during April. The foliage becomes dormant by the end of spring, but the yellow flowers work well in naturalized areas or in a shade garden. Plant daylilies within zone 3; dozens of cultivars are available, in a wide range of colors. Hosta, iris, peony and nepeta are possibilities as perennials for this zone.