Zone 2 and 3 Hardy Perennials and Shrubs

Posted by Aaron Barton on Mar 4th 2023

Zone 2 and 3 Hardy Perennials and Shrubs

Depending on your location, the Twin Cities area is considered Zone 5a (-20F to -15F) or Zone 4b (-25F to -20F). Zone 3 begins in the northern 1/3 of MN and continues to the Canadian border. At Tonkadale we stock plants that are Zone 4 or hardier, down to Zone 2. Zone 3 and Zone 2 hardy plants are especially good for exposed areas, and to ensure plants are ready for winter with little preparation. These lists are based off the latest guidance from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (February 2024) and are subject to change.

Visit mda.state.mn.us for more information.

Discover your USDA Hardiness Zone here!

Zone 3 (-40F to -30F Annual Minimum Temperature)

Full Sun (6+ Hours Direct Sun)

  • Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple)*
  • Achillea 'Moonshine, Strawberry Seduction' (Yarrow)
  • Alchemilla ‘Thriller’ (Lady’s Mantle)
  • Amelanchier  ‘Autumn Brilliance’ (Serviceberry)*
  • Andropogon (Big Bluestem)
  • Artemisia 'Silver Mound’
  • Arctostaphylos ‘Massachusetts’ (Kinnikinnick)*
  • Aronia (Black Chokeberry)*
  • Asclepias (Milkweed/Butterfly Weed)
  • Baptisia (Blue False Indigo)
  • Betula ‘Dakota Pinnacle, Parkland Pillar’ (White Pillar Birch)*
  • Bouteloua (Side Oats Grama)
  • Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster'
  • Ceanothus (New Jersey Tea)*
  • Cornus ‘Ivory Halo’ (Variegated Red Twig Dogwood)*
  • Chrysanthemum Mammoth Series (Hardy Mum)
  • Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam, Zagreb’ (Tickseed)
  • Dianthus ‘Arctic Fire, Zing Rose’ (Pinks)
  • Echinacea ‘Magnus, PowWow Series’ (Coneflower)
  • Festuca ‘Elijah Blue’ (Fescue)
  • Gaillardia ‘Arizona Red/Sun’ (Blanket Flower)
  • Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)
  • Hemerocallis [many including ‘Stella d’Oro’] (Daylily)
  • Hydrangea paniculata (Panicle Hydrangea)*
  • Iris versicolor (Northern Blue Flag Iris)
  • Juniperus ‘Wichita Blue, Medora’ (Upright Juniper)*
  • Liatris 'Floristan White/Violet, Kobold’ (Blazing Star)
  • Lilium 'Lily Looks’ Series (Asiatic Lily)
  • Lobelia (Cardinal Flower/Great Blue)
  • Nepeta 'Walker’s Low’ (Catmint)
  • Paeonia ‘Sarah Bernhardt, Karl Rosenfield, Duchesse de Nemours’ (Peony)
  • Panicum (Switchgrass)
  • Penstemon ‘Dark Towers, Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
  • Phlox paniculata ‘Flame Series, Laura’
  • Physocarpus ‘Diabolo, Summer Wine, Fireside, Devil Series' (Ninebark)*
  • Rosa ‘Campfire, William Baffin, Winnipeg Parks' (Rose)*
  • Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Fragrant Sumac)*
  • Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-Eyed Susan)
  • Salix purpurea 'Nana' (Dwarf Arctic Blue Willow)*
  • Schizachyrium (Little Bluestem)
  • Sedum ‘Angelina, Autumn Joy, Neon’ (Stonecrop)
  • Sorghastrum (Yellow Prairie Grass)
  • Spiraea ‘Renaissance’ (Bridalwreath Spirea)*
  • Sporobolus (Prairie Dropseed)
  • Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England Aster)
  • Symphyotrichum x dumosus ‘Wood’s’ Series' (Bushy Aster)
  • Syringa meyeri (Dwarf Korean Lilac)*
  • Syringa ‘Miss Kim’ (Korean Lilac)*
  • Thuja ‘Holmstrup, Techny, Degroot’s Spire, North Pole' (Arborvitae/White Cedar)*
  • Vaccinium ‘Northcountry, Northblue’ (Blueberry)*
  • Viburnum dentatum ‘Blue Muffin' (Arrowwood Viburnum)*
  • Viburnum opulus (Common Snowball Viburnum)*

Note: Many of these plants will grow in part sun exposure but will bloom best in full sun.

Part Sun/Shade (0-6 Hours Direct Sun)

  • Anemone canadensis (Canada Anemone)
  • Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern Red Columbine)
  • Aralia ‘Sun King’ (Golden Spikenard)
  • Aruncus (Goatsbeard)
  • Asarum canadense (Wild Ginger)
  • Astilbe x arendsii ‘Fanal’
  • Astilbe chinensis ‘Mighty Chocolate Cherry, Vision in Pink/Red/White’
  • Astilbe japonica ‘Rheinland, Deutschland’
  • Bergenia ‘Winterglow’ (Pigsqueak)
  • Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ (Siberian Bugloss)
  • Carex (Sedge)
  • Cornus alternifolia (Pagoda Dogwood)*
  • Chelone (Turtlehead)
  • Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
  • Diervilla lonicera (Northern Bush Honeysuckle)*
  • Eutrochium maculatum (Spotted Joe Pye Weed)
  • Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)
  • Geranium sanguineum ‘Max Frei’ (Bloody Cranesbill)
  • Heuchera ‘Northern Exposure Red/Amber/Black’ (Coral Bells)
  • Hosta [most common varieties] (Plantain Lily)
  • Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea)*
  • Polygonatum falcatum ‘Variegatum’ (Variegated Solomon’s Seal)
  • Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
  • Tsuga canadensis (Eastern/Canadian Hemlock)*

Note: Many of these plants will grow in shady conditions but will bloom best in part sun.

Zone 2 (-50F to -40F Annual Minimum Temperature)

All Plants Full/Part Sun (4-6+ Hours Direct Sun)

  • Antennaria neglecta (Field Pussytoes)
  • Artemisia stelleriana ‘Silver Brocade’ (Wormwood)
  • Cornus stolonifera ‘Arctic Fire’ (Red/Yellow Twig Dogwood)*
  • Larix laricina (American Larch/Tamarack)*
  • Malus 'Pink Sparkles’ (Crabapple)*
  • Microbiota decussata (Siberian/Russian Cypress)*
  • Phlox subulata 'Candy Stripe, Emerald Blue/Pink' (Creeping Phlox)
  • Physocarpus 'Amber Jubilee' (Ninebark)*
  • Picea glauca (White Spruce)*
  • Pinus mugo (Mugo Pine)*
  • Potentilla ‘Pink Beauty, Mandarin Tango’ (Cinquefoil)*
  • Salix discolor (Pussy Willow)*
  • Salix candida ‘Iceberg Alley' (Sageleaf Willow)*
  • Sorbus decora (Showy Mountain Ash)*
  • Syringa vulgaris (Common Lilac)*
  • Syringa x 'Little Lady' (Lilac)*
  • Syringa x prestoniae ‘Miss Canada’ (Preston Lilac)*
  • Viburnum trilobum ‘Bailey Compact' (American Cranberrybush)*

*Woody tree or shrub

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