Where you live will greatly influence your plant’s chances of survival for the years to come. Palm trees go well in the south but up in Tremblant, they are bound to die!

A plant must tolerate winter’s coldest weather year after year. That is why a hardiness map has been developed to help predict which plant is hardy for which region. Here is an example:

You live in Montreal; zone 5 (according to Natural Resources Canada Zone Maps)

• You can plant anything zoned 5 or less (4, 3, 2, 1) and know that it will survive winter; the plant is deemed hardy.

• On the contrary, plants zoned 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 will be considered as annuals, not hardy; they will have to planted every year.