Regions

Australian flora is incredibly rich and beautiful. It counts 24,000 species of native plants, many being very adaptable, easy to grow, and withstanding the harsh Australian climate. Popular Australian native plants include climbers, shrubs, trees, and drought-tolerant plants. Among them are the Banksia, Grevillea, Scaevola, Acacia, and Eucalyptus but there are many more spectacular native plants. Selecting plants suited to the Australian climate is a key step to success. Various initiatives have taken place to determine how well plants would withstand the cold winter temperatures (Plant Hardiness Zones) or when plants would start suffering from the heat (Plant Heat Zones). Australia lies in Plant Hardiness Zones 7 through 12 and Heat Zones 2 through 14.

Europe's climate ranges from the Arctic in the north to the Mediterranean in the south, resulting in diverse weather patterns and hardiness zones. Northern areas, like Scandinavia and Russia, experience cold, harsh winters, while Western Europe, influenced by the Gulf Stream, has milder, temperate conditions. Central Europe experiences a mix of maritime and continental climates, with warm summers and cold winters. The Mediterranean region enjoys hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Consequently, hardiness zones range from 2 (coldest) in the northernmost parts, through to zone 11 (warmest) in the southernmost regions. This diversity allows a wide variety of plants to thrive across Europe.

From the tropical heat of Florida to the arctic cold of Alaska and from the wide prairies of Nebraska to the deserts of Arizona, North America varies widely in its climate and topography. Various initiatives have taken place to determine how well plants would withstand the cold winter temperatures (Plant Hardiness Zones) or when plants would start suffering from the heat (Plant Heat Zones). A more sophisticated approach has been followed by Sunset which defines Climate Zone Maps based not only on hardiness or heat tolerance but also on precipitations, wind, humidity, and various other climate-related factors. These Climate Zones have long been the standard among gardeners who live in the 13 western states. These hardiness, heat, and climate zones help identify which shrub, perennial, or tree would survive and grow year after year in each region or North America.