Virginia Planting Zones by City and ZIP Code
Virginia runs from zones 6a to 8b; 43% of its ZIPs are 7b, Richmond is 7b and Virginia Beach is 8b.
Virginia runs from zones 6a to 8b
The coldest night of the winter averages -10°F to -5°F in the coldest of Virginia’s ZIP codes and 15°F to 20°F in the warmest. Most of the state is zone 7b.
Planting zones of Virginia cities
| City | Zone | Coldest night, on average | Since 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond23219 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7a) |
| Virginia Beach23451 | 8b | 15°F to 20°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (8a) |
| Norfolk23510 | 8b | 15°F to 20°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (8a) |
| Roanoke24016 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | same as 2012 |
| Charlottesville22902 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7a) |
| Arlington22201 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7a) |
Tap a ZIP for that address’s frost dates and this month’s jobs.
Find your zone anywhere in Virginia
A ZIP code or a town gives you its zone, how it moved since 2012, the frost dates at the nearest NOAA station, and the jobs for this month timed from them.
What to plant in Virginia this month
The calendar for each of Virginia's main zones, from vegetables to pruning and winter protection, each job tied to the extension page it comes from. Pick a month, or read the whole year below it.
Timed from the median frost dates of the 47 NOAA stations in Virginia’s zone 7b: last spring frost Apr 8, first fall frost Oct 31. Your own ZIP’s frost dates move every window, so the ZIP tool times them for you.
Pick a month above to see every job in it.
The year at a glance
- Start vegetable seeds indoorsDec to Apr
- Sow vegetables in the gardenMar to Apr
- Sow the fall vegetable gardenJul to Sep
- Set out transplantsMar to Apr
- Plant trees and shrubsFeb 25 to Apr 22 and Oct 17 to Dec 5
- Plant garlicOct 17 to Nov 21
- Plant tulips and other spring bulbsNov 7 to Nov 14
- Divide fall-blooming perennialsMar 18 to Apr 29
- Divide spring and summer-blooming perennialsSep 19 to Oct 31
- Prune trees and summer-flowering shrubs while dormantJan 28 to Mar 11
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they bloomMar 25 to May 20
- Put hardware cloth around young tree trunksOct 31 to Dec 12
- Cut back perennials after a hard freezeNov 7 to Dec 5
What changed in Virginia since 2012
Every ZIP on both mapsCompared ZIP by ZIP from the 2023 and 2012 USDA tables; 1,196 Virginia ZIP codes appear in both.
Why Virginia’s zones moved
Of the cities above, Richmond went from 7a to 7b, Virginia Beach went from 8a to 8b, Norfolk went from 8a to 8b, Charlottesville went from 7a to 7b and Arlington went from 7a to 7b.
The USDA explains the national picture: “When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.” The new map uses 1991 to 2020 and more than 13,000 weather stations, so it draws Virginia’s hills, valleys and cities more finely than the 2012 map did.
A warmer zone changes which perennials and shrubs come through the winter, not when the garden gets planted; that still follows the frost dates.
Frost dates and seed starting in Virginia
Virginia planting zone questions
Planting zones by state
Sources. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP code tables (2023 and 2012), PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA Agricultural Research Service, November 15, 2023); NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal, by station (v1.0.1); NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Zones are read from the PRISM ZIP code tables, read Oct 9, 2026; a ZIP code’s zone is the zone at its center. The calendar’s extension sources are listed on the planting zones page and under each job.