What Are the Different Plant Growing Zones?
To help growers and gardeners determine what plants will grow best in their area, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Arbor Day Foundation provide maps which divide North America into so-called hardiness zones or growing zones. These zones are very detailed so that there may be several in a single state. Plants that might grow well in one zone in that state may not thrive in another area of the state. Does this Spark an idea?
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The United States
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Arbor Day Foundation produce zone maps to help growers determine which plants will grow best in their area. Both organizations divide North America into 11 zones based on average winter low temperatures, with zone 1 being the coldest.
The Role of Horticulturalists.
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Horticulturalists who are experts on the growth properties of plants use hardiness zone maps to tell us where individual plants will thrive and where they will not. Seed and plant producers use this information on product labels; gardeners and farmers use it to plan their crops.
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Other Countries
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Hardiness zone maps or growing zone maps exist for most countries. Just by knowing the average winter low temperatures in any area, you may use the USDA hardiness maps. For example, a place where average low temperatures is between 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit would support plants that grow in USDA hardiness zone 8.
Recent Revisions
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Desert Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Arbor Day Foundation recently revised their hardiness zone maps to show that most zones in the United States have moved south since the maps were last revised in 1990. That means average low temperatures have risen almost everywhere in the U.S.
Other Factors to Consider
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Dew Hardiness zone maps are very useful but they are far from the only indicator of how well a plant will do in a particular location. Soil quality, hours of sunlight, heat and water conditions are also important.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of woodley wonderworks Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Kevin Dooley Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Gordana Adamovic-Mladenovic
