A List of Cold Hardy Plants

Cold Hardy Trees

• White bark and brilliant yellow fall leaf color are the attractions of the quaking aspen, a tree cold hardy to USDA zone 1. Found across almost all of Canada and Alaska, the aspen grows to 50 feet in full sun and damp soil. Another cold hardy tree is the paper birch, growing to 70 feet and possessing a papery, peeling white bark that gives it great ornamental flair. Paper birch is a good fit for the cooler northern climates. Other cold hardy tree types are American elm, American linden, golden willow, hackberry and the Manchurian cherry.

Cold Hardy Deciduous Shrubs

• Cold regions such as eastern Siberia and northern parts of China are the native lands of the false spirea, so it has cold tolerance. This deciduous shrub grows to between 5 and 10 feet high, featuring pyramid-shaped clusters of white flowers in June. Use false spirea as a screen or plant it on a slope to stop the effects of erosion. Another deciduous, cold hardy shrub is the shrub rose, known for its greenish-purple leaves and its pink flowers. Shrub rose grows tall enough a t from 6 to 8 feet to put in the back of a perennial border. Deciduous shrubs like the coralberry, alpine currant and the nannyberry viburnum stand up to extreme winters.

Cold Hardy Evergreens

• The Engelmann spruce only grows in cold climates, between USDA zones 2 and 5. This evergreen tree matures to between 70 and 100 feet, with dark green needles and chestnut brown colored cones. It is a specimen tree for large landscapes. The pines displaying cold hardiness include jack, Austrian, Scotch, mugo and red pine. Spruce species such as Norway and white spruce put up with the cold. American arborvitae, available in cultivars such as Techny and Little Giant, endures the cold winters common in some states.

Cold Hardy Perennials

• Darkest of All is a hybrid cultivar of daisy fleabane, cold hardy to USDA zone 2. This perennial is suitable for borders, growing to 24 inches and blooming during July and August to provide mid-to-late season color. Plant the hollyhock cultivar Nigra next to fences or against a wall. It grows to 8 feet and survives the winter to zone 2. Nigra has such dark maroon July flowers that they almost appear to be black. Other perennials for the cold include Blue Star, a cultivar of eryngo, and the yellow giant hyssop.