City guide · Zone 9b
What to plant in New Orleans, Louisiana
A full-sun bed in New Orleans: Korean boxwood 'Wintergreen', Adam's needle yucca 'Color Guard', Mexican bush sage, Daylily 'Stella de Oro', Lilyturf 'Big Blue'. Zone 9b, last frost around Feb 1.
Subtropical and very wet. Plants must handle humidity and poorly drained soil.
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
New Orleans, Louisiana at a glance
- Hardiness zone (2023 USDA)
- 9b (ZIP 70112)
- Typical last spring frost
- Feb 1
- Typical first fall frost
- Dec 15
- Spring planting window
- late February to mid-April
- Fall planting window
- late October to mid-December
- Annual rainfall (approx.)
- 63 in
Frost dates are typical metro values, not forecasts. Long, hot summers with drought and sudden downpours rule out many plants that the zone map says will survive. Our lists for New Orleans use the rules for Texas and the South-Central states.
Zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023 (USDA Agricultural Research Service; data by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University). ZIP code to state data: GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0.
A full-sun bed in New Orleans
6 or more hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.
12 × 6 ft · Zone 9b · 6+ hours of sun · Modern
Buxus sinica var. insularis 'Wintergreen'
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 3.5 ft apart · grows 2–4 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Chinese fringe flower 'Purple Diamond' or Dwarf bottlebrush 'Little John' (invasive in Florida: don't plant it there).
Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard'
Grass · Back of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2.5 ft apart · grows 2–5 ft tall · Jun–Jul
Can't find it? Use Switchgrass 'Shenandoah' or Dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln'.
Salvia leucantha
Filler · Back of bed · 1-gallon pot · 3 ft apart · grows 3–4 ft tall · Aug–Nov
Can't find it? Use African iris or Lily of the Nile.
Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro'
Filler · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.5 ft apart · grows 1–1.5 ft tall · May–Sep
Can't find it? Use Bulbine.
Liriope muscari 'Big Blue'
Edge · Edge of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1 ft apart · grows 1–1.5 ft tall · Aug–Sep
Listed as invasive in North Carolina in our table. Don't plant it there.
Kinds
5
Plants
18
Coverage
92%
Mulch
9 bags
Mulch: 0.67 cu yd at 3 in deep (9 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 92% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
A part-shade bed in New Orleans
2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.
12 × 6 ft · Zone 9b · 2–4 hours of sun · Classic
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 3.5 ft apart · grows 3–5 ft tall · Jun–Aug
Can't find it? Use Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'.
Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'
Grass · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1 ft apart · grows 0.75–1 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Mondo grass or Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance'.
African iris
× 3
Dietes iridioides
Filler · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Mar–Oct
Can't find it? Use Holly fern (invasive in Hawaii, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas: don't plant it there) or Autumn fern.
Aspidistra elatior
Filler · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Holly fern (invasive in Hawaii, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas: don't plant it there) or Autumn fern.
Liriope muscari 'Variegata'
Edge · Edge of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1 ft apart · grows 1–1.25 ft tall · Aug–Sep
Listed as invasive in North Carolina in our table. Don't plant it there.
Can't find it? Use Mondo grass or Lilyturf 'Big Blue' (invasive in North Carolina: don't plant it there).
Kinds
5
Plants
31
Coverage
85%
Mulch
9 bags
Mulch: 0.67 cu yd at 3 in deep (9 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 85% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
A shady bed in New Orleans
Under 2 hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.
12 × 6 ft · Zone 9b · Under 2 hours of sun · Classic
Podocarpus macrophyllus var. maki
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 3 ft apart · grows 8–12 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Gold dust aucuba 'Variegata'.
Autumn fern
× 7
Dryopteris erythrosora
Grass · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.5 ft apart · grows 1.5–2 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Lilyturf 'Big Blue' (invasive in North Carolina: don't plant it there) or Japanese sedge 'Evergold'.
Aspidistra elatior
Filler · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Southern shield fern or Bush lily.
Holly fern
× 5
Cyrtomium falcatum
Filler · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 1.5–2 ft tall · Foliage plant
Listed as invasive in Hawaii, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas in our table. Don't plant it there.
Can't find it? Use Southern shield fern or Bush lily.
Mondo grass
× 12
Ophiopogon japonicus
Edge · Edge of bed · quart pot · 0.8 ft apart · grows 6–9 in tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance' or Japanese sedge 'Evergold'.
Kinds
5
Plants
30
Coverage
89%
Mulch
9 bags
Mulch: 0.67 cu yd at 3 in deep (9 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 89% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
Guides for zone 9
Questions and answers
- What hardiness zone is New Orleans, Louisiana in?
- Central New Orleans (ZIP 70112) is in zone 9b on the 2023 USDA map: the coldest night of an average winter falls between 25°F and 30°F. Suburbs can be half a zone colder.
- When is the last frost in New Orleans?
- Typically around Feb 1 in spring and Dec 15 in fall. These are typical dates; any one year can be two weeks earlier or later.
- When should I plant shrubs and perennials in New Orleans?
- In spring, late February to mid-April; in fall, late October to mid-December. Fall planting gives roots a cool, moist season to settle before summer.
- How many plants do I need for a 12 × 6 ft bed in New Orleans?
- Our full-sun bed list for New Orleans uses 18 plants of 5 kinds, plus 9 bags of mulch.
How this page was made
This page was generated from FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules: the rules engine composed each list for the city's 2023 USDA zone, its region's summers and its state's invasive lists. The frost dates and rainfall are approximate metro values. No person or chat model chose these plants, and no named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Data by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University.
- ZIP code to state data: GeoNames (geonames.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants