Gardening in North Central Texas can certainly be a challenge. The summers are routinely hot and dry, while winter days may fluctuate wildly, with warmth and sunshine one minute to snow and ice the next.

One of the main objectives of the Collin County Master Gardeners is to help gardeners identify suitable plants for our area. The Plants For Our Area sections of this website feature recommendations and information about what plants have proven to perform well in our part of Texas.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The USDA Hardiness Zone Map is a system for rating the cold-hardiness of plants, issued by the United States Department of Agriculture. This system divides the United States and Canada into eleven zones, based on average minimum temperatures in winter.

According to the 2003 map, Collin County is split between Zones 7b and 8a. This means that generally, the coldest temperatures we experience range from 5-15°F. (The National Arbor Day Foundation hardiness zone map was updated in 2006 to reflect recent climate warming trends and has subsequently expanded Zone 8 to include all of North Central Texas.)

A word of warning about these maps: when choosing plants for your landscape, you should certainly pay attention to hardiness to understand how much heat and cold a plant can withstand, but take the zone information with a grain of salt. Such variables as sun, shade, wind and moisture can all affect how hardy a plant really is.

Similarly, become familiar with the "microclimates" that exist within your landscape. These are small pockets where climate conditions vary dramatically from surrounding areas. Gardeners often use these microclimates to their advantage in growing plants normally considered to be out of their local hardiness zone. For example, some gardeners have success overwintering Zone 9 tropical plants outdoors in North Texas by locating them against a protected, South-facing brick wall.

Collin County's first fall frost occurs around November 15, and the last spring frost happens around March 15. Temperatures in the region range from an average high of 96° F in July to an average low of 34° in January. Rainfall averages just under 35" a year.

Maps:


USDA Hardiness Zone Map for Texas
2006 National Arbor Day Foundation Hardiness Zone Map
Texas Average Dates of First Fall Frost
Texas Average Dates of Last Spring Frost
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