“All gardeners are in zone denial.”
The zones in question are the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Hardiness Zones, which show where different garden species are supposed to do well. Gardeners, of course, think they know better, and will always try to push that envelope.
Anyway, the current version of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map was done way back in 1990, and needed updating. So there’s a new one coming soon. It’s bound to be different, in places very different. A whole new set of recommendations for gardeners to go into denial about.
USDA is not describing what the new map will show, but outside experts say that the trend is for zones to shift northward. “Some places have definitely warmed, although others haven’t changed at all,” says Tony Avent, owner of North Carolina-based Plant Delights Nursery and an advisor for the revision.
You can’t do much with the current map online, but the next version will be downloadable to your GIS. It will also be more sophisticated, with better data, better interpolation and better resolution (800m):
The revised map draws on 30 years of data and uses a complex algorithm to factor in other variables that affect local temperatures, such as altitude and the presence of water bodies.
Will some of the USDA’s clonal repositories (field genebanks) find themselves in the wrong zone?
Interesting news. I’m a real amateur when it comes to gardening but the hardiness zone concept is so handy when it comes to deciding on timings. What we really need is an international map (I’m working with a guestimated zone here in the UK which is probably not much better than an out of date one).
p.s I haven’t been over here for a little while – very smart redesign!
There is an interactive usda plant hardiness zone map for the continental United State at:
http://www.plantmaps.com/usda_hardiness_zone_map.php
and another map using USDA zone designations for the United Kingdom at
http://www.plantmaps.com/uk_plant_hardiness_zone_map.php
@P Russo –
Thanks, that’s a good find. It’s the old USDA hardiness zone map, but done in a nicer way. I guess they’ll revise it when the new one comes out. But then the new one sounds like it will be interactive as well.