Alabama Plant Hardiness Zones

Hardiness Zones, also referred to as Growing Zones or Planting zones are defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The zones in this map were created in 2023 using mean extreme climate data covering the period of 1991 to 2020. The previous version of this map released in 2012 was created using climate data from the period of 1976-2005. The data in the 2012 maps covered a cooler period than the 2023 maps.
The state of Alabama is covered by a total 5 unique hardiness zones. The coldest zone in Alabama is zone 7b in the high elevation areas on the Northern edges of the state. Zone 8a covers most of the Northern portions of the state. Cities in the zone 8a planting zone include Huntsville, Florence, Decatur, Gadsden, Talledega and Anniston. Zone 8b covers most of the Central and Southern Areas of the state. The Birmingham metro area is split between zones 8a and 8b. Major cities in zone 8b include Montgomery, Auburn and Tuscaloosa. As we move to the warmer climate areas of lower Alabama we head into zone 9a which covers the Mobile area and the Dothan area in the Southeast corner of the state. The warmest zone in Alabama is zone 9b which covers Dauphin Island and the Western beaches of Gulf Shores.