Fareed Mohmed

Gardening · Climate Compatibility · Zimbabwe

Best Plants for Bulawayo

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe has a humid subtropical (southwestern plateau) climate: summer highs around 29°C, winter lows around 5°C, 580 mm of annual rainfall and low-moderate humidity. Here's how 2,500 plants stack up against that climate, and when to plant them.

831Excellent Match
441Good Match
871Marginal
357Not Suitable

Bulawayo’s year at a glance

24JAN23FEB21MAR18APR15MAY12JUN11JUL12AUG14SEP17OCT20NOV23DECBars: average temperature. White ticks: average overnight low.

Estimated average temperature by month, °C frost-free frost likely overnight

Plants that suit Bulawayo

Every plant here has been checked against Bulawayo’s summer heat, winter cold, chill hours, humidity and rainfall. Good fits grow reliably with ordinary care. Marginal fits can work, but need extra care such as shade, frost cover or a pot you can move. Click any plant for the full reasoning.

Fit
Lifecycle
Type

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What to plant in Bulawayo, month by month

Planting windows are worked out from Bulawayo’s estimated monthly temperatures and each plant’s comfortable range: warm enough to avoid frost damage, cool enough to avoid heat stress. Bulawayo is in the southern hemisphere, so its seasons run opposite to the north and all months here are local ones. Pick a month, or click a cell in the grid.

Lifecycle
Type

Estimates only. They use average temperatures and don’t include local rainfall timing, frost dates or microclimate, so treat them as a starting point and check with a local nursery. In monsoon and wet-dry climates, trees and shrubs usually establish best at the start of the rains. An asterisk (*) means the plant’s best available window is only a rough fit here. Indoor and potted plants such as houseplants, orchids and bromeliads can be potted at any time, so they aren’t listed in the calendar. “Annual” includes biennials and tender perennials grown as annuals (tomato, chilli, petunia).

Nearby cities

Checked against 2,500 plants in total (871 marginal, 357 not recommended outdoors in Bulawayo). Look up any specific plant, or compare Bulawayo against a different climate factor by factor:

Open the Full Checker for Bulawayo →