A plant may be adapted to the temperature of a location, but may die because of a problem related to another environmental factor. Or a plant may be stressed due to other problems, and may then die from the extra stress caused by a very cold winter. Plants survive within a more or less broad range of temperatures. They thrive within a more narrow range of temperatures. In Maine and other cold climates, minimum temperatures generally determine whether plants will survive.
Plants survive very low temperatures only when they are fully hardened off.
If a very low temperature occurs in late fall, before a plant has fully hardened off, it may not be able to withstand the stress. High temperatures during the summer and temperature fluctuations throughout the year also impact a plant's success. Plants are categorized as sun, partial shade or shade plants, depending on the amount of light they thrive in. Cloudy, rainy days and shade from nearby plants and structures can greatly reduce the amount of light that reaches plants. Plants may survive in less light, but they will thrive only in locations where they get the amount of light they are most adapted to.