Deconstruct Sun

Tyler, TX: Hardiness Zone 8b & Sunlight by Season

Tyler is in USDA hardiness zone 8b. Here’s what that means for winter, plus sunrise, sunset, daylight hours and the sun’s path through the year.

Hardiness zone
8b
2023 USDA map
Coldest winter night (avg)
15 to 20 °F
−9.4 to −6.7 °C
Longest day (Jun 21)
14h 16m
6:14 AM – 8:31 PM
Shortest day (Dec 21)
10h 02m
7:18 AM – 5:20 PM

Zone 8b in Tyler

On the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, Tyler falls in zone 8b. That means the coldest night of a typical winter drops to between 15 and 20 °F. Perennials, shrubs and trees labeled for zone 8b or colder (a lower number) should survive the winter here.

A zone only covers winter cold. For a plant to do well it also needs the right amount of sun, and that varies far more from one corner of a yard to the next than the zone does across town.

This is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zones are derived from the official 2023 dataset, resampled to about 2 km.

Nearby cities

All Texas hardiness zones →

The sun over Tyler

On the June solstice the sun rises in the northeast at 6:14 AM and climbs to 81° above the horizon at 1:23 PM. On the December solstice the noon sun reaches only 34°, so a 20-foot tree casts a noon shadow about 29 feet long. In June the same tree’s noon shadow is only 3 feet.

0°15°30°45°60°75°90°NNEESESSWWNWN
June solsticeMarch & September equinoxDecember solstice

Open the interactive sun calculator for Tyler

Sunrise, sunset & daylight by month

DateSunriseSunsetDaylightNoon sun
Jan 217:20 AM5:44 PM10h 24m38°
Feb 216:57 AM6:12 PM11h 15m47°
Mar 217:23 AM7:33 PM12h 10m58°
Apr 216:45 AM7:55 PM13h 10m70°
May 216:19 AM8:16 PM13h 57m78°
Jun 216:14 AM8:31 PM14h 16m81°
Jul 216:28 AM8:26 PM13h 57m78°
Aug 216:49 AM7:58 PM13h 09m70°
Sep 217:08 AM7:19 PM12h 10m58°
Oct 217:29 AM6:41 PM11h 12m47°
Nov 216:55 AM5:18 PM10h 22m38°
Dec 217:18 AM5:20 PM10h 02m34°

Local time (Chicago), including daylight saving time. “Noon sun” is the sun’s height above the horizon at solar noon.

Daylight through the year

0h6h12h18h24hJanuary: 10h 24mJanFebruary: 11h 15mFebMarch: 12h 10mMarApril: 13h 10mAprMay: 13h 57mMayJune: 14h 16mJunJuly: 13h 57mJulAugust: 13h 09mAugSeptember: 12h 10mSepOctober: 11h 12mOctNovember: 10h 22mNovDecember: 10h 02mDec

What “full sun” means in Tyler

Full sun is 6+ hours of direct sun. In Tyler an open spot has 14.3 hours of daylight to work with in June and 10.0 in December, so a bed that clears 6 hours in summer can easily drop to part shade in winter once the low sun slips behind trees and houses.

Full sun6+ hoursof direct sun
Part sun4–6 hoursof direct sun
Part shade2–4 hoursof direct sun
Full shadeUnder 2 hoursof direct sun

Measure the sun in your Tyler yard

Daylight is the ceiling. Deconstruct Sun traces the trees and buildings around one exact spot and tells you its real direct-sun hours, today and at every solstice and equinox.

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Questions

What hardiness zone is Tyler, TX in?

Tyler, Texas is in USDA plant hardiness zone 8b on the 2023 map. The average coldest winter night is 15 to 20 °F (−9.4 to −6.7 °C).

How many hours of daylight does Tyler get?

About 14.3 hours on the June solstice (sunrise 6:14 AM, sunset 8:31 PM) and 10.0 hours on the December solstice (sunrise 7:18 AM, sunset 5:20 PM). Around the equinoxes it is close to 12 hours.

How many hours of sun does my Tyler yard get?

Up to the daylight hours above, minus whatever trees, buildings and fences block. In winter, when the sun stays low, that can be most of it. The Deconstruct Sun iPhone app measures the real direct-sun hours for one exact spot by having you trace what is around it.

When is the best time to plant in Tyler?

Zone 8b tells you which perennials survive winter, not planting dates. For timing, use your local average frost dates from your county extension office, and choose plants rated for zone 8b or colder.

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. Underlying data © PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed 2026-08-30. Sun times calculated for 32.317, -95.306.