51 of the 85 flowers in the table can be grown in zone 5: 40 perennials and shrubs that come through its winter, plus 11 annuals that are planted fresh each spring and are marked as such below. Six rankings are re-run on that shorter list, by the same rules as everywhere else.
Neighboring zones share most of their list; the real differences show up at the cold end, in zones 3 to 5.
What wins in zone 5
The same protocols as everywhere else, with every flower that cannot survive a zone 5 winter removed before scoring.
Best for shade
Catmint87/100
Hellebore85/100
Coreopsis83/100full ranking, all zones →
Easiest for beginners
Russian Sage94/100Catmint94/100
Mexican Sunflowerannual89/100full ranking, all zones →
Deer-resistant
Russian Sage94/100Catmint94/100
Globe Thistle87/100full ranking, all zones →
For hummingbirds
Daylily92/100Mexican Sunflowerannual92/100Russian Sage86/100full ranking, all zones →
Low-maintenance
Russian Sage100/100Catmint100/100Globe Thistle93/100full ranking, all zones →
For containers
Sweet Alyssumannual79/100Catmint79/100Daylily74/100full ranking, all zones →
We keep one table of 85 flowers, with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself. The full method ↗
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