Make Zones mandatory for new members?

LOL, we have almost as many opinions as we have plants!

Sorry about that earlier grumble - yes, some things are definitely hardier than advertised, but it can be a great detriment to a new gardener to be "deceived" into false hopes. Oops, there I go again.

Kathleen,
I just looked up where 'Panama' is in NY, and I agree with your 'grumble' about being in zone 6!!! Areas are so unique in their freezing conditions. You must have exceptional (strange? different?) conditions, being near the great lakes! I'm on the border of PA, near Binghamton, but we still get lake effect-snow from Lake Ontario!

You just keep what ever little 'ol zone you want next to your name!

I'm getting quite a kick out of this. You know that you are in the presence of some experienced gardeners when you hear them arguing with the USDA on zone definitions. :)

Dave

HAH!!!....That should be a Quote of the Day, dave!!

yeah well I actually know alotta the people that work for the USDA...
I have very good reason to argue with them.

ohh what I couldn't do with such funding.

Drew

All; I'll quote my mentor, Felder Rushing, and say "plant it green side up. If it don't grow, pull it out and plant somethin else. It's not like yer married to it."

There can shore be a lot of unnecessary confusion about growin zones! Readin through all the above comments I felt like I was in the "Twilight Zone!"

I'm very excited about the heat zone thing, and wish the heat hardy info was as readily available as the cold hardy (even if it is iffy) Hopefully, that's coming. (And wouldn't it be nice if we could put that info next to our names here). I believe the PDB info already reflects this to an extent.

And since we are talking about zones ... the new rating system will (eventually, maybe) also include minimum cold a plant needs to do well. When that starts happening, will the PDB be able to reflect it?

Now, if we could get some sort of rainfall rating ... LOL!
;-)
Cheri'

Sundry, you bring up a good point that needs to be conveyed more loudly, I fear. When entering info in the PDB, it's not enough to enter only the coldest end of the range that a plant will endure! Only by entering the entire range (including all the zones in between the upper and lower limits), can a reader determine if a plant may or may not be suitable for their garden.

Checking all the appropriate zones allows a reader to infer when a plant needs some chilling (such as with a lot of fruit trees, lilacs, peonies, etc.) since the warmer zones aren't included in the range. If someone lists only "3a" as the uppermost range for a Lilac, another reader in balmy Florida might think they can successfully grow it in their zone 9 or 10 location, not understanding that lilacs aren't likely to bloom south of zone 7.

Please (pretty please!!!) when entering hardiness info for a plant, take a moment to browse around online or through your trusty reference books and check off the entire range of temperatures :o) (And if you find entries that are incomplete/inaccurate, be sure to use the "report an error" link to let us know what needs fixing!)

(getting off the soapbox now...)

sundry & Terry; you both have mentioned excellant info, now how do I get out of the Twilight Zone?? :~>

tc

you can't. you have to stay there forever ...
;-)

Isn't that how those shows go?

Cheri'

tc, I think some of your Felder Rushing quotes belong in the Fun Garden Quotes section....especially that one about "It's not like yer married to it."

sundry; OH NO!! Kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and went in one of those "mirror halls" at a county fair and actually got lost and couldn't find my way out!

NW; I'll have to check out that section, never peeked in there before.

I think some folks don't understand zones, they may get confused and put in the the wrong zone, by accident and I think other don't like people to know where they live or even which state they live in. I take zone information with a grain of salt, I always try things outside my zone anyway.

Bug_Girl; Same here! Since I've known Felder, he's introduced me to a slew of things I can grow here that he grow's down at his place in Mississippi! I wouldn't even have thought of tryin the plants he grows iffin I went by the zone map all the time!

TC, what are you doing up so early?

Good mornin NW!! A very loud clap of thunder woke us all up!!!

I still feel the zones provide useful guidelines. The first question one would ask of someone seeking advice is often "where are you located"? Naturally, "pushing the zone" is something gardeners do!

Pard; the first question I usually ask is "what's in yer garden?"

I would politely have to disagree with ya 'bout gardeners "pushing the zone".

As for "useful guidelines" I rely mostly on actually seein what grows where.

Ah well, I for one pay some attention to the zone ratings, tho I also "push the zone".

Still, if someone is asking what to plant in their sunny bed, I wouldn't suggest tropicals if they are in zone 4. Conversely, I wouldn't suggest poppies if they are in zone 9. Doesn't mean that there is no way possible to grow these plants in these zones ... it's just not the easiest thing to do, certainly not the best way to start. And not an action I'm going to recommend to a newbie.

I'm trying to grow Oriental lilies in zone 9 (south), knowing the heat might well kill them. But I know that going in. I found out the hard way about a lot of things, because heat zone ratings aren't as common as cold. It's not as much fun as you think it's gonna be ... lol.

If you want to grow tropicals in zone 4, more power to you! But you wouldn't be asking what plants grow best in your area then, would you?

Cheri'

sundry/Cheri, that's what I was trying to say! Thanks!!

tc, don't you ever "push the zone"? Just maybe a Camellia or a Crepe Myrtle in a sheltered spot in your PA garden? Maybe some Gladioli that come back each year?

TC, I finally found something we disagree on!! I push the zone all the time; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but what the heck. The cheaper something is, the farther I'll push it. Sounds like a song title, don't it?

The cheaper it is,
The farther he goes,
How low can he go,
Only himself knows.

Only himself knows,
And he ain't a-sayin'
But all of his neighbors
Is rockin and prayin.

Rockin and prayin,
For one big failed crop,
Just hopin at last
His madness will stop.

Oh...!! So that's what ya mean by "pushing the zone"!! Well say no more PD!! I apologize fer misunderstandin ya!! DUH!!!

I thought ya meant that when someone was wonderin 'bout their zone and once they told ya what state they lived in, you informed them what plants they should grow for their particular zone, AND ONLY THE PLANTS FOR THEIR PARTICULAR ZONE SHOULD THEY ATTEMPT TO GROW.

My lands...why Lordy yes I poosh my zone all the time! I'm always tryin to grow stuff that's not recommended for my zone!

I learn sumpin new here 'bout ever log in!!

Again all; sorry for my incomprehension on the matter! :-o