Flip through any seed catalog or nursery mail-order list and you're going to see--along with individual plant descriptions--some reference to hardiness zones:
Campanula lactiflora 'Superba,' Zone 5.
Well, you may wonder,
where the heck is Zone 5? Can I order this plant if I'm not in Zone 5? Let us take you from the Twilight Zone to your proper hardiness zone with a quick review of the facts.
Generally speaking, when you hear the word hardiness in relation to a plant, that refers to the plant's ability to survive outdoors year-round without protection. The perennials you see on display during the growing season at your local nursery, for instance, are probably hardy to your area of the country. In other words, they may freeze during the winter in regions north of you or fry during the summer in regions south of you, but for the most part, they are good choices to survive in your garden.
Other than visiting the local nursery, the best way to get a handle on which perennials do well in your neck of the woods is to consult a U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone Map. People who sell flowers, especially through catalogs, rate the hardiness of plants according to this brightly colored map, which has been updated to reflect changing climates over the years. Follow the link below to .
The map divides the United States into numbered zones from 1 to 11 and reflects the range of winter temperatures, from 50 degrees below zero in Zone 1 (the coldest zone) to 40 degrees above in Zone 11 (the warmest zone).
A Couple of Tips
- You can usually get by with growing plants that are rated hardy one zone north of your own (one number lower). So if you live in Zone 6, chances are you can grow just about everything that's hardy to Zone 5. And in many cases you can grow a number of plants that are hardy in Zones 4, 3, 2 and 1, assuming they'll survive the summer heat in your area.
- You can also grow a number of plants that are rated hardy one zone south of your own (one number higher), but protect them during the winter. In fact, you can probably grow plants rated hardy several zones south of your own if you grow them in containers and overwinter them indoors.
And here's a final interesting tip: If you live near a lake, in the mountains or along the margins of a big city--areas where the local climate may vary half a zone either way within a few miles--you may be able to grow a greater variety of plants than a fellow gardener just across town.
Resources USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
URL:
www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/
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