For you Sonoma county gardeners, zones

I found this as I am struggling to figure out whether I can grow tender cactus here. It differs from Sunset slightly and is helpful:

http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/gardener/pdf/climate_zones.pdf

Yes, but is there any indication of the numbered zones corresponding to these three zones? According to this map, you're in a cooler zone than I, but I'm 9a and you're 9b, which means you're in a warmer zone than I am.

Zuzu, I think they are saying that my winters are slighty warmer due to the bay effects on the temp? That's what I was hoping as I am trying a few cactus which don't care for 20+ or so degrees. Sebastopol can get as warm in summer as over here.

I have driven out your way in spring and noticed that you are about 10 days ahead of my area in plant growth...go figure?

Did you ever make it out to Western Hills, I believe she is closed now. You are a stones throw from Sonoma Hort, do you know Palo?

I do know him and I knew his late partner. He is a sweet man. I almost got to Western Hills, but one of the women on our nursery crawl that day used to work there and didn't want to see her previous employer. Have you ever been to My Wild Iris Rows? It's closed for the summer now, but one of my neighbors went there on the last day it was open in May and has been raving about it ever since. I think the people from there are still selling their irises at the Sebastopol farmers' market.

The lush plant growth here occurred because spring has been like summer (between the downpours, of course). We haven't had a real spring in Sebastopol for the last three or four years. We seem to move straight from the cold of winter to the heat of summer with nothing in between.