Climate Zones for Australian Gardeners
Knowing your climate zone will help you decide the best time to sow the vegetables, herbs and flowers you want to grow, and which varieties should perform well in your garden. Growing plants that are suited to your climate zone will usually give you the best results in your garden.
How to Use Climate Zones
First, find your climate zone using the map or descriptions below. Next, refer to our sowing chart, which provides approximate sowing times for our most popular seeds for each climate zone.
While knowing your climate zone is helpful when planning your garden, there are many other factors that may affect how your plants grow, including unseasonal weather conditions, the specific microclimate of your garden and how you care for your plants. You know your garden better than us, so if a different climate zone seems to ‘fit’ your garden better, go ahead and use it as a guide.
Our climate zones cover huge areas of Australia, so we recommend gardeners also consider their local conditions when planning what and when to plant. For example, gardeners in alpine areas have shorter growing seasons than gardeners in cool coastal areas, even though both alpine and coastal areas are included in our ‘Cool Temperate’ climate zone. We recommend gardeners in cool regions look at the ‘days to maturity’ information provided for each variety and choose those that will mature in a short (6-12 week) growing season.
Tropical
- Includes: Darwin, Cairns, Townsville, Exmouth
- High humidity summers with most rainfall in summer and dry, warm winters. Includes northern Australia from Exmouth (WA) across to south of Townsville (Qld).
- Set as my climate
Arid
- Includes: Alice Springs, Mildura, Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo
- Hot dry summers, winters can be warm or cool depending on the region. Includes a large area of central Australia from the WA coast to Charleville (Qld), Tamworth (NSW) and Albury-Wodonga (NSW/Vic).
- Set as my climate
Subtropical
- Includes: Brisbane, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast
- Warm humid summers with high summer rainfall and mild winters. Includes coastal Queensland and northern NSW from north of Mackay to just south of Coffs Harbour.
- Set as my climate
Temperate
- Includes: Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Central Coast NSW, Wollongong, Bunbury
- Moderate humidity and reliable rainfall, with four distinct seasons. Includes coastal areas from north of Port Macquarie to south of Woollongong in NSW, coastal SA and the southeastern coast of WA.
- Set as my climate
Cool Temperate
- Includes: Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Launceston, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Mt Gambier
- Low humidity with most rainfall in winter; hot dry summers and cold winters. Some regions will experience frosts and snow. Includes coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and alpine areas of Victoria, NSW and Tasmania.
- Set as my climate
Climate Zones FAQ
What if I can’t find my climate zone?
If you can’t locate your zone from looking at the map or the descriptions on this page, we suggest that you think of
an area that has a climate that’s similar to yours and use the zone for that area as a guide.
What if I live on the border of two zones?
If you live near the border between two zones we suggest you read the descriptions for both zones and decide which
best describes the climate where you live. Depending on the microclimate in your garden, you may be able to grow a
wider range of plants over a longer season than others in your zone. Lucky you!
What is a microclimate?
A microclimate is a small area where the temperature or humidity differs to the climate of the surrounding area. For
example, if you live in a climate zone where frosts are common but your garden is protected by buildings or large
trees, your garden may be frost-free. Similarly, if you live in a warm temperate zone but your garden is at a high
altitude your microclimate may have more in common with the cool temperate zone, so use this as a guide when
deciding which zone is relevant to you.
Can I grow varieties not listed for my climate zone?
While our climate zones and sowing chart will help you decide what is suitable to plant in your garden, they provide
general guidance only. We recommend you start by sowing seed that’s recommended for your climate zone; once you get
a few successes under your belt you can experiment with varieties in neighbouring zones and see how you go –
gardening is all about experimenting after all!
Seeds included in 'Flowers | Cool Climate | Summer 2023' Seed Subscription:
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Aster- Hulk (Callistephus chinensis)Bushy annual, 60cm high with unique cream to yellow flowers resembling 'fried eggs'. Ideal for commercial cut flower growers, blooming from late spring to autumn. Suitable for beds, borders, and containers. Easy to grow. Also known as 'China Aster'. |
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Zinnia- Mazurkia (Zinnia elegans)Annual grows to 30cm, with large, cream-tipped scarlet flowers up to 8cm wide. Mostly double/semi-double flowers. Ideal for beds, borders, mass plantings. Easy to grow in large containers. Fleuroselect award winner. |
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Sunflower- Double Delight F1 (Helianthus annuus)An annual growing to 75cm with multiple stems and flowers per plant. The bright yellow pollen-free flowers are semi-double, giving them a fluffy appearance. Fast and easy to grow. This medium-height variety is suited to growing in large pots, garden beds. |
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Alyssum- Carpet of Snow (Lobularia maritima)Annual growing to 12cm. Low growing plant that produces masses of small fragrant pure white flowers. Ideal for carpeting. Good for beds, rockeries, paths and edging. Also known as "Sweet Alice". |
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Forget Me Not- Rose Pink (Myosotis sylvatica)Biennial plant growing to 30cm with green leaves, small rose pink flowers. Ideal for borders, meadows, woodlands, containers, and as cut flowers. Tolerates most soils and positions. Self-sows freely, attracting bees and butterflies. |
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Californian Poppy- Ivory Castle (Eschscholzia californica)Annual plant growing to 40cm with grey/green fern-like foliage. Produces creamy white blooms with yellow centre's. Good as a cut flower, in beds, borders or rock gardens. Ideal for cottage gardens or meadow planting. Grows in poor soil. Drought tolerant. |
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Wallflower- Fire King (Erysimum cheiri)Evergreen perennial normally grown as a biennial. Grows to 45cm. Dark green foliage with bright orange/red flowers. Sweet fragrance. Good for rock gardens, beds, borders and along walls and fences. Makes an eye-catching cut flower. |
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Snapdragon- Lucky Lips (Antirrhinum majus)Perennial (often grown as annual) up to 60cm. Tall variety with long flower spikes, large bicoloured flowers, deep green lance-shaped leaves. Flowers are white with berry-coloured throat and buds. Ideal for borders, bedding, containers, cut flowers. |
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Ageratum- Market Growers Blue (Ageratum houstonianum)Annual plant growing to 50cm with dark green leaves and small blue-purple flowers. Ideal for cutting, suitable for beds, borders, pathways, rockeries, and containers. Easy to grow from seed, long flowering period. Attracts butterflies. |
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Sweet William- Summertime Mix (Dianthus barbatus)Biennial but often grown as an annual. Plant grows to 70cm with light green leaves producing sweet scented tall single flowers in a mix of colours. Good for garden beds, borders and as a cut flower. Best variety for cut flowers. |
Summer Gardening
Tips for gardening in summer:
- Watering: Learn when to water by using your index finger to check soil moisture. Scratch back a little of the surface soil and use your finger to see if soil is moist about 5cm below the surface; if it’s on the dry side, it’s time to water. Learn more here.
- Pinch for More Flowers: Pinch the main stems of flowering plants to encourage strong growth, a bushier habit and more flowers. Once plants are 20-40cm tall and have several sets of leaves, use sharp, clean snips or secateurs to cut off the top 10cm or so of the main stem of the plant, making the cut just above a set of leaves. Flowers including aster, zinnia, chrysanthemum, calendula, marigold and dahlia will all benefit from pinching. Learn more here.
Pests and diseases to look out for in summer:
- Aphids: Small, sap-sucking insects that congregate on the new shoots or the underside of leaves. They can cause leaves to wilt or become discoloured, and also excrete honeydew which can attract ants and other insect pests. To manage aphids, remove them by spraying with a garden hose, apply a soap or alcohol spray, or encourage predatory insects to your garden. Learn more.
- Whitefly: A sap-sucking insect related to aphids, whitefly are found in large numbers on the underside of leaves, and will swarm in clouds when disturbed. Plants may have yellowing leaves or may wilt, and growth will be slowed. Whitefly can be removed with a Graden hose or strayed with soap spray. Badly affected plants should be destroyed. Learn more.
- Fungal diseases: The combination of warm temperatures and summer humidity can form the perfect conditions for fungal diseases to spread. Water plants in the morning at ground level, avoiding wetting foliage wherever possible. Prune off affected foliage, space plants to allow more airflow, and treat fungal outbreaks with homemade or purchased sprays.