And now, all I can say is: I could have told you this three years ago. The peninsula of downtown Charleston is in zone 9A. The new area plant zoning map:
Sure, its the world's smallest zone area ever, but I KNEW IT! Plus, in 3 years, including one of the top 10 'coldest' on record for the area, my yard never got below 26 degrees. Last year the lowest was 32. Only for 2 days. SO there! We are regularly 5-10 degrees warmer at night in both winter (yay) and summer (ugh horrible), than 5 miles in any direction from home.
Now I have go tell all the lemon trees and brugmansia trees around town the news so they stop having to justify their existence.
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Hello Jess :) Well, I'm glad you got that one sorted out. Personally I change my mind as to what zone I'm in with each passing season!
ReplyDeletehaha - that is the smallest zone ever! I am in zone 8. 30 miles south is zone 9. 30 miles east is zone 7. No wonder the weather is crazy around here! I try to purchase plants that will live in all those zones. It's not easy being a gardener!
ReplyDeleteYou know, us left-coasters had a similar issue for years. The zone maps based on climatic minimums weren't as applicable, or useful. Thankfully, Sunset rezoned the west from more of a heat-tolerance perspective than a cold hardiness one. I always use that zone first now. The cold tolerance for some plants is important, but not dying in mid-summer heat is more important in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThere's a nursery here that constantly talks about climate change and how our area used to be a zone 5 but we're now pushing a 6. I wish. If anything my little valley is more like a 4. Although a low of 32 sounds kinda unreal.
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to have scientific proof of what you already know by observation, isn't it? Hooray for the USDA to get it right--finally.
ReplyDeletehey there! where is this plant zone map you're referencing? I'm in south florida, and some maps have me at zone 10a, some 10b, and even one in 9b.....
ReplyDelete(beautiful blog, btw)
Officially, I live in a zone 8 area. All the plant zone maps say it.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that crap for a minute. Like you said, it seems to be more about what won't grow in the heat.
Dawn - its the updated USDA using the 2010 information (from 1940-2010). There's an easy to use interactive site for it at plantmaps.com. But any site now updated with the new 2010 gathered info should say the same thing. Unfortunately, the old data, from the original (ever) USDA is still floating around out there and hence you get a wide variance. What is neat is it is becoming more granular, and noting that certain areas, be they only 10 miles wide, like mine, are significantly less likely to freeze.. so while not exactly microclimates (as your whole neighborhood is the same) they haven't been included until recently. Making for some stupid purchasing decisions by those of us in those affected areas.
ReplyDeleteKyna, Clare: Yeah, I have never once lost anything to cold. I have lost bazillions of stuff to heat though. Sunsets are now over here, and so far they aren't working as well for me, and same with AHS too.. as a matter of fact that is way off, nearly 2 zones from what I can tell, and failing to the 'less hot' side, which is disastrous. I almost always go by: if will live in Zone 9 and Heat zone 9, it will make it. And that works. Oh, and of course, if its growing in the medians of sidewalks, thats a clue too. Because some things which people say are so hard, like gardenias, grow in the hellstrips here. No zone map can tell you that!
I'm definitely in zone 8b over in Goose Creek, but I had NO idea that 8a was so close still...probably all of 2 miles. I don't think any of my current plant ideas (fresh into gardening here) will suffer in either direction, but we shall see!
ReplyDeletelpyrbby- Welcome to gardening then! It is crazy how quickly the 'zones' really do change as you get off of the coast around here... I'm looking forward to 'hearing' how you do. I'm quite sure the only thing you can do figure out what will suffer is plant with abandon, because plants depend so much on so many things that you just have to experiment! July & August will let you know what's not such a good plan after all when it comes around again as far as the zones go. I can definitely, without pause recommend any of the mophead hydrangeas though... they grow like gangbusters everywhere around here... just stick em in a shady spot, and poof, done, bloom all year.
ReplyDeleteIt'll make you feel good blog reading come spring when all the people north of here are sulking because theirs won't bloom or died or won't grow or... :) heh heh. Gardenias too... grow in median strips in town here. It makes up (sort of) for no tulips or lilacs, or peonies, or (lots of things that won't grow here)
Very funny post. The lemon trees will be happy to find out they have nothing to fear.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you founf it in writing that you were right. LOL!Small though it be hey take it. I am always trying to stretch my 5b to 6. Sometimes it works and sometimes not so much. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you figured it out. You are right zones should not be just about winter, but about summer heat too, that's why Sunset came up with Western Garden Book. What roses did you buy?
ReplyDeleteheat is a significant limiter here in charlotte, too...extra water helps a lot, but there are plenty of things that just won't grow well over the summer. it's kind of surprising that the heat zone maps haven't caught on.
ReplyDelete