Hardiness
/HAR-dee-ness/🧑🌾 Cultivation● Basic
Also known as: cold hardiness, winter hardiness, frost hardiness
The capacity of a plant to survive minimum winter temperatures in a particular geographic area. Hardiness is typically expressed using the USDA Hardiness Zone system, which divides North America into zones based on average annual minimum temperatures in 10°F increments. A plant's hardiness rating indicates the coldest zone in which it will reliably survive winter. Factors beyond minimum temperature — wind, moisture, snow cover, microclimates — also affect survival.
Etymology
Old English heard (hard, strong) + -ness (quality)
Example
“This Japanese maple is rated hardy to USDA zone 5, meaning it can survive minimum winter temperatures of -20°F.”