What Plants Can Withstand Frost?

Annuals

• Annuals are particularly susceptible to frost damage, as these plants germinate, bloom, go to seed and die all in one growing season. Hardy annuals offer the most protection. These include sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), a 4- to 12-inch-tall edging plant that blooms from spring through heavy frosts. Calendula or pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) tolerates frost. This 2-foot-tall annual produces red, yellow and orange flowers from summer through fall. Dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) produces small, yellow flowers from spring through frost, but is prized for its silvery-white foliage. This frost-tolerant annual grows to 2 feet tall. The versatile snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) tolerates frost. These annuals grow from 6 to 36 inches tall and bloom from spring to early summer and again in fall. Their blossoms range from white to purple.

Vegetables

• According to the Aggie Horticulture at Texas A&M University, frost damages the foliage of but does not kill broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, chard, lettuce, mustard, onions, radishes, and turnips. Beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, collards, kale, parsley and spinach all tolerate frost well.

Perennials

• Perennials live for at least three years, so they're made to survive winter temperatures. Especially hardy species include candytuft (Iberis sempervirens), an 18-inch-tall plant that blooms with white flowers in spring. Dianthus or pinks (Dianthus spp.) grow from to 6 to 24 inches tall and produce pink, white and rose blossoms from late spring to early summer. Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida) produce bright-yellow flowers in fall and tolerate frost well. These hardy perennials grow to 30 inches tall and often bloom very late in the season. The spring-blooming viola (Viola spp.) only grows from 4 to 8 inches tall, but this tough little perennial tolerates frost. Violas produce blue, purple and white flowers.

Shrubs

• Shrubs hardy to U.S. Department of Zone 4 or colder tolerate average annual low temperatures to minus 30 Fahrenheit. These hardy shrubs tend to tolerate frost well. Selections include winged euonymus (Euonymus alata), a deciduous shrub that grows from 7 to 10 feet tall. Winged euonymus has dark foliage that turns red in autumn. The European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus) is hardy to zone 3. This deciduous shrub grows up to 20 feet tall and is named for its clusters of bright red berries. Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) also tolerates frost well. This evergreen grows to 5 feet tall and has fragrant, gray-green foliage and blooms with blue-purple flowers in summer.