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| I have a question about my zone. I thought I was 9b, because the first two winters here, it didn't go below 25. However, last December, it got down to 21 at night for about two weeks straight - which killed what few succulents I had left out there, plus some orchids, and all my epis... Roses and pelargoniums came through just fine. Kim's Porcelain Rose spent nearly all that time in a 1 gallon pot out on the front porch, with no protection at all, and she's about to bloom a dozen blooms! I'll take a picture when they open. So, do I regard that dip downward as an aberration and I'm still in 9b, or am I really in 9a? Thanks, Melinda |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by sandandsun 9a FL (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 0:33
| Oh you poor dear. You must be utterly confused. Proven Winners believes that you are still in 9b. Enter your zip code here: PW Zip Code Zone So does Organic Gardening - Enter it here: OG Zip Code Zone GardenWeb says you worry too much - Enter it here: GW Zip Code Zone The National Gardening Association says you should be more conservative - Enter it here: NGA Zip Code Zone And if you can convince the government that you aren't a hacker, you can find out what they think Here: USDA Zip Code Zone What was the question again? |
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| I'm zone 9b and yes, in Dec. we had some unusual lows which killed my 15 year old geraniums, etc. But it's still zone 9b. Check an almanac or another source for record lows. They've been worse for this zone. At Wunderground's weather stations in Boulder Creek there is a 6 degree difference between some (bottom of page). |
Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.wunderground.com/q/zmw:95006.1.99999
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| Now you do have me wondering. All the links above agreed I am in zone 6a--except the official U.S. one--which claims I am zone 6b. So who is right? Good thing I've always settled for plain ol' zone 6. Kate : ) |
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- Posted by pat_bamaZ7 7 (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 12:44
| Three of the links showed me as 7b; one showed 7a and one just said 7. We've been having 8a/8b winters for so long that I felt comfortable zone pushing a lot of perennials. This year we experienced 6b/7a temperatures, and I'm paying the price for that. Granted we had 20 year lows this year which we may never see again…or may not see again for another 20 years…or may start seeing on a frequent basis. So, my philosophy is that I will not plant anything questionable if to me it is not worth risking the expense to replace it or would cause long term issues in my garden if I lose it down the road (ie, a large shrub or tree that would change the sun/shade ratio enough to harm other plantings or would be really difficult to remove if it dies). That has basically always been my philosophy…I will really miss some of the plants that won’t return this year, but I knew the risk when I planted them and felt comfortable with my decision to have them in my garden for as long as Mother Nature allowed. |
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| I'll go with Kate, and sometimes I remember to add Boston. Lynn T |
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- Posted by rideauroselad 4b/5a Ont (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 19:53
| I know exactly how I answer this question. As you can see from my zone info in my forum name, I list my zone as 4b/5a. Why, that is because, every once in a while, my temperatures dip to 4b levels even though, every "official site" there is lists my area as 5a. My area is listed as a solid 5a. My experience does not match that arbitrary number. My wholly rational answer is, if you get 9a temperatures, ever, then 9a it is, if you want your most tender plants to survive. Climate zone ratings are approximations, not absolutes. And believe me, zone 4 or zone 5 matters with tender roses. My two bits worth. Cheers, Rick |
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| Hmm. 7A everywhere except on the NGA website where they claim I'm 6B. Before USDA updated their zones, I was at the very top of zone 7. It took a really good map to see this. However, every (virtual-online) nursery I dealt with insisted I was zone 6 and trying to convince them otherwise was a pain. In fact, I lose more plants to heat than cold and anything I tried to grow that was hardy down only to zone 6 rarely made it here. Local nurseries seem to get it. This winter notwithstanding, I will continue to call myself zone 7. You know, we need an east-of-the-Mississippi version of the Sunset zones. It isn't just how cold the winter gets but how warm and humid the summers are and how many frost-free days we have. Not every rose, or any other plant, can thrive through Double 90's- 90 degrees+ F and 90%+ humidity, for days on end. |
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| I just use zone 6 and let the powers that be struggle with the "a"s and "b"s. But if I went by this winter I'd probably be zone 4! |
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- Posted by Slimy_Okra (My Page) on Wed, Apr 9, 14 at 16:57
| Zones are calculated by *typical* extreme lows of the year, not all-time lows. For example, I'm on the border between 2b and 3a because most years, our lowest temperature is in the range of -38 to -42. But on rare occasions, we can get into zone 1 territory. On the flip side, some years we stay in zone 3 or even zone 4 in exceptional years. You just have to examine what's normal for your region, not what's possible. The same thing applies to first and last frost days. They are statistical averages of the 50% probability dates, not absolute dates. The last and first frost dates here are May 23 and September 15th. But we *can* get frost at ANY time in the summer between these days. It's just not common. |
This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Wed, Apr 9, 14 at 16:59
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- Posted by sandandsun 9a FL (My Page) on Wed, Apr 9, 14 at 16:59
| "...that was hardy down only to zone 6 rarely made it here." There is either a typo or confusion in that statement (disregarding potential misrepresentation on labels). Needing a heat zone map or guide is, of course, a matter of opinion: however, well written reports of USDA hardiness zones EXCLUDE zones where COLD isn't an issue but the plant would not thrive or survive because of the heat. For example: Zones 6-8 (not 1 -5 nor 9 or warmer). IF more people would study, research, and learn in order to be better gardeners, there would be fewer complaints about such things. No amount of guidance will provide success like knowledge, skill, and experience. Ultimately the onus is upon the person planting. Fortunately, heat is mostly not an issue for ROSES grown with good cultural practices (zones 10+ excluded). There is a Heat Zone Map done by the American Horticultural Society - link below. |
Here is a link that might be useful: American Horticultural Society Gardening Maps
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| The USDA Hardiness zones are based on average lows over a set period of time and the temperature spreads used to indicate what is typical for each zone show those average ranges. They do not show the coldest temperatures recorded in each zone - statements like "we had a Zone _ winter" are meaningless when based on one or a few low temperatures, there is no individual temperature associated with any one zone specifically. I have had temperatures below 10 degrees F. at least a few times here. That does not put me in Zone 7, or mean that I "had a Zone 7 winter". Zip code based zone finders always put me in the wrong zone (7), catalogs frequently say Zone 8 plants are hardy to Zone 7 - this no doubt again based on the idea that if a plant survives something between 0 and 10 degrees F. that means it is hardy to "Zone 7 temperatures". Nevermind that some day it will have to come through -5 degrees F., -10 degrees F. or worse to persist in Zone 7. And I think anyway many items are being rated by venders as hardy to Zone 7 because they start to kill back or die outright at around 10 degrees F. - an obvious fudging from the start, apart from the other factors involved. |
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