Zone 7a: What Grows and How to Garden There

What a zone 7a winter means

A zone 7a winter rarely gets cold enough to kill peach buds outright, and it is mild enough for camellias, figs and crape myrtles in the ground. It is still cold enough for the chilling that peonies, lilacs, apples and spring bulbs need. The losses that remain come from occasional deep cold snaps and from early spring warmth that pushes buds out before a late freeze.

Where zone 7a is

Zone 7a covers Kentucky, including Louisville and Lexington; St. Louis and much of Missouri; Wichita and southern Kansas; Evansville and southern Indiana and Illinois; Allentown and southeastern Pennsylvania; northern New Jersey; coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island including Providence; and southeastern Massachusetts. It also reaches into the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina, northwest Arkansas around Fayetteville, and the Texas Panhandle around Amarillo. In the West it covers the Boise suburbs of Nampa and Meridian, Spokane Valley, Reno’s neighbor Sparks and valleys in Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Oregon.

Fruit trees and small fruit

Apples, pears, peaches, plums and cherries all crop well. Spring frost during bloom is the main risk; Penn State lists apple blossoms at full bloom losing about 10% at 28°F.

Figs come into their own. NC State lists the common fig for zones 7a-10b and recommends a spot against a south wall in zone 7, with ‘Brown Turkey’, ‘Brunswick’, ‘Celeste’ and ‘Chicago Hardy’ among cold-hardy cultivars.

Perennials, bulbs and shrubs

• Peonies: still at home here. Virginia Cooperative Extension says they need cold winters and grow in zones 3-8.
• Spring bulbs: need 12-16 weeks of chilling. NC State plants them once soil cools below 60°F, 3-4 times as deep as the bulb is wide. Daffodils return for years, while hybrid tulips fade after the first season.
• Camellias: hardy in zone 7 and warmer (Virginia Tech). Shade them from winter sun, and water during dry spells in fall and early winter (Washington State).
• Crape myrtle: fully hardy, though young plants may die back in a severe winter.
• Bigleaf hydrangea: grows well; flower buds can still be lost in hard winters and late frosts.
• Rosemary and lavender: borderline. Both die more often from wet soil than cold, so plant in raised, gravelly beds.

Special concerns

Summer heat matters as much as winter cold in much of zone 7a. Virginia Cooperative Extension notes that sunlight and high temperatures make lettuce bolt and turn bitter; it recommends slow-bolting varieties and shade once temperatures pass 70°F. Kale, turnips, mustard, broccoli and cabbage grow best in the cool days of fall and tolerate light frost, so plan a second vegetable season from late summer.