USDA hardiness zone 9
Zone 9 plants and yard ideas
Zone 9 spans two very different climates with the same winter low: humid Gulf and Florida yards, and dry inland California. The coldest night stays above twenty degrees, so citrus, palms and bougainvillea are possible, but a light freeze still arrives most winters. Choose plants by rainfall and humidity, not just the zone number.
- Coldest night
- 20 to 30 °F
- the USDA definition of the zone
- Rated for zone 9
- 412 plants
- 229 of them proven in containers
- Typical of
- Houston, Austin, Jacksonville, Sacramento and Seattle
- 2023 USDA map · check your ZIP for the exact zone
Styles that suit zone 9
Each one is a real render from our engine. Styles whose plants would not survive a zone 9 winter, or its summer, are not listed.
Modern yard ideas
Clean lines, structured beds
Tropical yard ideas
Lush, leafy, resort-like
Desert landscaping ideas
Cactus, agave & gravel
Classic curb appeal ideas
Manicured curb appeal
Native plant landscaping ideas
Regional natives, tidy beds
Mediterranean garden ideas
Olive, lavender, dry gravel
Coastal garden ideas
Breezy seaside planting
Modern farmhouse landscaping ideas
Tidy, relaxed, white blooms
Woodland shade garden ideas
Ferns & dappled shade
Prairie meadow yard ideas
Naturalistic grasses
Pollinator garden ideas
Nectar-rich & buzzing
Kitchen garden ideas
Raised beds & herbs
Rain garden ideas
Eco runoff basin
Tuscan courtyard ideas
Cypress, citrus & terracotta
Fire-wise landscaping ideas
Defensible space for wildfire
Outdoor living yard ideas
Seating, shade & string lights
Plants rated for zone 9
A sample from each group, drawn from the 412 library plants whose stated hardiness range includes zone 9. Every card opens the plant's page with its sources.
Trees and flowering trees · 93 rated
Shrubs and hedges · 108 rated
Perennials, grasses and groundcovers · 143 rated
Palms and succulents · 49 rated
What winter does here
A few nights near freezing each year. Tropical plants survive with cover; true zone-10 plants like some palms and hibiscus are a risk.
A zone is an average of the coldest nights, not a guarantee. The plant pages show a freeze-risk estimate for a specific ZIP when you enter one.
Your yard, your zone
See your own home designed for zone 9
One photo of your yard. The house stays, the yard is restyled, and every plant in the result is a real species that survives a zone 9 winter.
Design my yard