Braving the British weather: 15 Hardy plants for UK climates

Over 20 million people across the UK have gardening as their pastime. If you are also thinking of pursuing this hobby, knowing what kinds of plants you can grow is essential. This way, you can avoid making mistakes that are costly and time-consuming.

For a gratifying gardening experience all year round, consider cultivating this diverse collection of hardy plants in the UK.

What is a hardy plant?

When a plant is considered hardy, it means it can survive frigid temperatures, usually up to -15°C.

‘Frost hardy’ and ‘half-hardy’ are also used as plant categories, referring to those that can withstand temperatures of up to -5°C and 0°C, respectively. Meanwhile, a tender plant is not likely to survive when it gets colder than 5°C.

What are plant hardiness zones?

A plant hardiness zone is a geographic area defined by its own average minimum temperature during the winter. The US Department of Agriculture, or USDA, first developed this system of categorisation to determine plant survivability. There are four kinds of plant hardiness zones in the UK, ranging from 6 to 9. Hardy plants can thrive in all these zones, but half-hardy ones are best grown only in zone 9 regions.

In 2012, the Royal Horticultural Society, or the RHS, created a separate rating system that identifies the hardiness of plants—instead of places—based on nine categories.

What hardy plants are good for British homes and gardens?

Various low-maintenance outdoor plants in the UK can comfortably flourish in zones 6 to 9 during frost dates. These include the following:

Evergreen wonders

Evergreen perennials are trees and shrubs that retain their foliage from winter to autumn. These all-year-round plants comprise two popular garden choices:

Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

A prickly holly plant in bloom (Source: iStock)

Known for its bright red berries and green spiky leaves, holly—or Christmas holly—is a flowering ornamental plant that can endure wintertime. This low-maintenance species can be grown as a tree or pruned as hardy evergreen shrubs in the UK. It is native to various regions and continents, including Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa.

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Tiny emerald boxwoods dotting a garden (Source: iStock)

Boxwoods are hardy perennials in the UK that have been everpresent in British gardens for centuries. These slow-growing but tough plants have oval-shaped leaves and a compact structure—characteristics that make them perfect for topiary and hedging.

Perennial survivors

Despite seeming finicky and weak, these perennial plants can survive different weather conditions in the UK:

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Lavender bathed in golden light (Source: iStock)

The English lavender is a shrub with fragrant purple flowers. Lavenders are excellent hardy plants for gardens, able to survive both winters and droughts as long as the soil remains well-drained. Utilised in various fields, their applications are wide-ranging—from perfumery and skincare to the culinary arts.

Heuchera (Heuchera spp.)

A heuchera bush with striking leaves (Source: iStock)

Heuchera, or coral bells, refers to a species of herbaceous perennials that come in several colours, including purple, burgundy, red, brown, and a vibrant shade of green. These plants won’t look out of place in different types of gardens, including rock, woodland, and traditional English ones. Although adaptable to various types of soils, mulching may be necessary for winter protection.

Rugged shrubs

These British garden plants are popular for a reason—they can easily add colour and charm to your tidy outdoor space without being high maintenance:

Buddleia (Buddleja davidii)

A colourful ballet of butterflies on a buddleia bush (Source: iStock)

Buddleia is a deciduous shrub with purple, pink, or white flowers. Its common name—butterfly bush—comes from how it effortlessly attracts different kinds of pollinators. This easy-to-grow plant blooms during early summer, thanks to the abundance of sunlight, and will need some pruning by early spring.

Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)

A vibrant display of hydrangeas along a leafy path (Source: iStock)

Originating from East and Southeast Asia, hydrangea is a shrub whose most known feature is its colourful flowers. It has some of the hardiest perennial flowers that can withstand the UK’s temperate maritime climate and soils and come in various vivid shades of pink, blue, and purple, as well as white.

Resilient trees

Here are three tree species that can stand the test of any season in the UK:

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)

A blackbird perched on a rowan tree, eating berries (Source: iStock)

Rowan is a proud perennial tree with silvery-grey bark and a resistance to frost. It sprouts white flowers during spring and produces eye-catching berries eaten by different bird species, including blackbirds and redstarts. It can grow up to 50 feet and has a 200-year lifespan.

Silver birch (Betula pendula)

A golden birch tree standing tall against the autumn sky (Source: iStock)

Striking with its silvery-white bark and hanging foliage, silver birch is a hardy tree that grows rapidly. The colour of its leaves—similar to other species’—changes across seasons, turning from a vibrant green to yellow to red. Silver birch can reach a towering 80 feet and thrive for a hundred years, even in environments with poor soil conditions.

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Clusters of berries adorning an elder tree (Source: iStock)

Elder, or elderberry, is a stout tree that develops tiny blooms during late spring and ripe berries from late summer to autumn. This low-maintenance tree can grow in various environments—from coastal areas to wastelands. It can also survive the winters of the UK and Northern Europe.

Sturdy climbers

Different kinds of vines can serve as a garden’s architectural foliage. Two hardy options are:

Clematis (Clematis spp.)

Clematis vines climbing a garden trellis (Source: iStock)

Clematis, a member of the buttercup family, is a genus of perennial flowers that can flourish even in -20°C weather. With flowers that grow all year round, some species of this plant can add life to your garden. You can find them in violet, blue, red, pink, and yellow.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

Fragrant honeysuckle flowers in full bloom (Source: iStock)

Honeysuckle is a hardy vine that is able to survive cool climates. It doesn’t just possess a sweet-sounding name—it also has a fragrant scent and vibrant colours. Honeysuckles are also deft at climbing trellises and walls, so one must keep an eye on them in case they creep along the neighbour’s fence and fuel garden disputes.

Hardy annuals

An annual plant’s entire life cycle takes place within one growing season. Some of the hardy annual plants in the UK are:

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

Cornflowers painting a garden blue (Source: iStock)

Cornflower, a low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plant that can survive British winters, is perfect for those just starting their gardening journey. Also called bluets, bluebottle, and happy skies, it has blue flowers that bloom from late spring to late summer.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

A burst of orange calendula flowers brightening a garden (Source: iStock)

Calendula, or English marigold, is an annual plant with cold-hardy flowers in the colours orange and yellow. It can grow in different types of soil as long as water gets drained properly. Both its leaves and petals are fit for consumption.

Biennial champions

Hardy biennial plants are those that complete their life cycle within two growing seasons. They get busy sprouting stems and leaves during their first season, and then they bloom and produce fruits or seeds in the second one.

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

A busy bumblebee collecting pollen from a foxglove flower (Source: iStock)

Foxglove is a short-lived perennial or biennial plant that prefers to grow under partial shade. It can easily be the centrepiece of your garden, with its towering height and purple bell-shaped flowers that attract bumblebees and other pollinating insects.

Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)

A beautiful display of Sweet William blooms (Source: iStock)

Sweet William is a biennial flower that can also be grown as a perennial or annual plant. It reveals its distinctly patterned flowers from spring to summer and continues to flourish during the winter cold.

How do you select the right hardy plants for your garden?

If you are new to gardening, here are some tips on how you can make this activity pleasant and worth your time:

• Use a plant hardiness system (whether it’s the USDA or RHS version) as a guide.

• Check your garden’s soil type and pH to know which plants will thrive there when planted.

• Determine a plant’s size when it matures to see if your garden has the space for it.

• Look into which plant species are more resistant to parasites and diseases.

• Learn if a plant is low- or high-maintenance before choosing to have it.

Maintain a hardy British garden with Airtasker

A gardener carefully planting a seedling in new soil (Source: iStock)

Want to populate your garden with hardy outdoor plants for the UK’s cold season? You can employ the help of Airtasker’s gardeners and plant delivery drivers to make the task easier for you.

Just use your mobile phone or computer to post a task on the platform and look for the experts you need. If you are unsure which one to hire, customer reviews can give you clarity regarding which Tasker is right for the job.