I was just thumbing recently through the section on climate zones- the zones where most of the DAves Garden folks claim they live in.. evidently there is some pretty wide variation in what the accepted tropical climate zones are in this country.. even some USDA maps disagree with each other. For example, there are a lot of people here in California claiming they live in a zone 11... I hope they aren't too disappointed should they try to grow a plant that is a strict zone 11 plant and have it fail on them. The only 'real' zone 11 in the US I am aware of is the tip of Florida and the Keys.. and Hawaii of course. There is only barely a hint of zone 10b in special isolated spots along the coast of southern California, and the attempts, failures and successes with trying to grow certain tropical plants certainly bears that out. Yet I have been sent a few maps by some DG members that do show a zone 11 along the southern coast of California, despite most USDA maps I have seen showing no such zone here. Just surprised, and wondering if anyone else ever noticed this.
zone 11 climates
I haven't noticed that with CA -- But where I am in PA is a wierd little spot like that too. Just the barest tip of PA is in this magic zone 7 where we can get away with things our friends literally 45 minutes away can't grow. And I belive one of the lecturerers at a home garden school I went to recently said that the charts had just changed to refect that not long ago.
Microclimates -- gotta love em.
Heather
Yep microclimates....
ely
palmbob, i lived in tavernier (southern end of key largo in the keys, the northernmost key) and according to local books and local people we were in 10b. 11 didnt start until halfway down around marathon (vaca key)! its very confusing! esp. since now we moved to central fl. and had a freeze this past winter (not that uncommon from what i hear) and yet the bananas on the property are fruiting out like nothing happened!
Palmbob,
I have my zone listed as 10a. According to Sunset and their system, I am listed as 23.
In reality--I live on a hillside just above Spring Valley. Up until this past winter, the coldest official record for SpV was 36 F. This past winter in late November I saw where they said SpV got down to 32 F. I live above SpV proper on a steep hillside. I'd say I'm 500-600 feet elevation. Then behind me it goes up even further AND I am surrounded on the North, East, and South by this slightly higher hillside. I have a clear view to downtown San Diego and the ocean. I think it may have gotten down to 36 F this past winter where I live immediately.
In essence--it doesn't get as hot as below me in the summer (but hotter than the coast), and it doesn't get as cold as below me (but probably similar to the coast) in the winter.
The bad thing about this past winter is that it got both COLD and extended WET. Most of my things did just fine, but I did lose some cactuses. They seemed the most affected than anything else.
Something very interesting also. I had two small Colvilleas (Colville's Glory) planted out for the first time. The one that was doing the best last summer was in a much larger and flatter bed. I don't think it will survive because it was wet too long this past winter. It is barely leafing out. The other one was planted on a steep spot with virtually no flat area to catch the water and it is leafing out just fine. Similarly, I have three Delonix regias (Flamboyants) planted out at the same time and are the same size as the Colvilleas. Two of the three were planted in spots where not much rain collected but the third croaked because it was in a big flat water-sogged spot. The other two look great and are leafing out just fine.
I don't get that Redlands-Riverside-Palm Springs type heat here, but it does get warmer than the coast in the summer. So I think I'll be able to at least grow some trees considered tropical. Whether I'll be able to get them to bloom is another matter.
On another issue--because it doesn't get as hot as below me--I'm going to try some cool-growing Andean tropicals as well. Things only considered for San Francisco and near the coast of NorCal. I'm presently growing some Lapagerias successfully and I've also just recently started to cultivate some cool growing Passionflowers and Bomareas. I'm fortunate in that I also have a number of mature Pepper trees growing down the hillside, so I'm planting these vines beneath them.
I also have started numerous tropical tree seedlings. They are kept on an outside balcony during winter. I lost very few of them. One that I did lose because of the wetness was a Adansonia za. It was about four years old. I guess I got careless.
I think I'm what you call 'pushing the envelope', but not pushing it ridiculously.
By the way, some plants have surprised me considerably. I have a Stemmadenia littoralis/galeotiana that went through the winter with nary a burnt leaf edge and is just now getting ready to bloom. When it does, I'll post pics.
-Ron-
Sounds like you live in a pretty good zone in So Cal. I know of some folks that do live in zones 10b out here and they can grow some incredible stuff. But I still can't figure out why some people think they live in zone 11 in So Cal... there is no such thing- not even close.
We are full of microclimates! At 900' elevation we are still Z11 but I can't grow Telosma cordata...too cool. But 1 miles down the mt. they can grow it! I can't grow Cymbidiums, but a friend 2 miles away can. It is interesting...25 miles up mt. they are a Z10, I think....once it produced frost. Never can tell what will grow....so we try everything!!! We say that if you don't like the weather, move a mile away.!!!
I noticed that when I was in Hawaii, too.. owned some land on the big island for a few years. In the same neighborhood, the folks just a bit higher up the road never got ripe coconuts, while the folks down the road, just about 1/2 a mile from us, had no problems. Seems as you go inland, and up, in Hawaii, the zones gradually and imperceptibly change... and you can see it in the plant life as you move along away from the coast. Hawaii is a wonderful lessen in microclimatology.
However, I stil contend, no matter what your individual microclimate in Southern California is, you cannot possibly live in a zone 11. There is no such microclimate, and not even one close.