USDA zone changes???

I am really curious about this: I talked to someone in a garden center yesterday and she claimed that the zones had been adjusted recently, like a few months ago. I thought I was in zone 7a, but maybe now I am in 7b (global warming??).

Shoe, if you read this, what zone do you consider yourself in?

It is just an interesting things, probably will not change any of our gardening, because it is already pretty crazy.

I am supposedly in Zone 7a and live in Albuquerque, NM. The weather and growing seasons here are not at all similar to NC. We are high altitude, low humidity, low rainfall, high summer temperatures. Someone in another forum once told me that the zones apply to trees and not to vegetables, flowering plants, etc. I'm finding zones very confusing.

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/where-you-garden/#2 is usually where I check facts because they are in my area.

June

Here's an article I found about recent zone changes. According to this article (dated July 2007) the National Arbor Day Foundation has released a new zone map that does reflect their belief that temperatures are warmer, but the USDA zone map hasn't changed. No wonder we're all getting confused, sounds like not everyone is in agreement!
http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/greene/news/news6980.html

This article also points out that the USDA zones only relate to winter low temperatures for cold hardiness ratings; they don't take into account summer temps, humidity, and temperature fluctuations. I'm guessing that's why three people all living in the same USDA zone in three different states can have such widely varying conditions to grow in.

It is confusing!
Sheri

Sheri, that's interesting information. Thanks for the link.

We noticed a big climate change in the past two years, with a lot more rain during monsoon season and some heavy snowfalls in winter. Natives tell me "that's how the weather used to be" and that the milder weather we experienced since moving here six years ago was not the norm.

June

You're welcome. I hope Clementine didn't mind being joined by non-Carolina gardeners in this thread...I noticed the topic and jumped right in. I may live in the state of New Mexico, but I also live in a state of confusion about zones!

I guess I moved here about the time we got our "wetter" years. Fine with me, I'm getting exhausted keeping things watered as it is! :-)

Oooops, didn't meant to intrude either. We are planning to move nearer to family in NC in a few years when DH is able to retire and I already feel like it is my "home".

June

Ah, see, you do belong here! I'm a pure interloper, I only wish I belonged to a place that was lush and beautiful! :-)

Gee, after you move, I'll have to mail you some desert dust to toss on your window blinds just for old times sakes. ;-)
Sheri

Sheri - LOL.

Everybody is welcome in the Carolinas; it is just our way. :-)))

Actually, I got sick of reading Southern Living after about 30 years and have started reading the Southwest Edition of Sunset magazine. Same publisher but, to me, a refreshing new take on the gardening section. We may live 1000 + miles apart but we have a lot in common.

Actually, I was not sure where to post this thread, I did think that gardeners in other areas of the country would be interested in this question.

It is hard to believe that Albuquerque should be in zone 7a!! But if the USDA zones are based on low temps then it makes some sense. At this point we are probably equally hot, we are in the high 90s with some 100+, and it is not even all that humid.

I agree with ardesia, everyone is welcome here - and I recently looked at a Southern Living and di dnot like it anymore either. I'll look at Sunset too.

hooray! i just looked at the map! aedesia, it looks like you, me, corehhi, and stonoriver are officially 9a! woo hoo!

Clementine, I'm in 7b and further west than Chapel Hill. I know I looked mine up on some site where you typed in your zipcode, but I can't find it and the maps are hard to read by county.

I'm thinking you're in 7b too. :)

Well shoot, we could have told them that a long time ago. LOL

We can grow more tropicals but the price is higher insurance rates. :-((((

Tropicanna: Well, I was in 7a I think, and I am probably in 7b now, and you maybe have not changed appreciably. Have a look at this site:

http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm
and also click on any of the links on the left of the map - very interesting. That's where you can put in a zip code (I don't know yours), but for me it says zone 7-8.

Interesting, my zone code in New Mexico says 6-8. We do have such varied climate here that it makes sense.

June

Edited to say "zone code" not zip code!

This message was edited Aug 19, 2007 2:16 PM

I think Clementine, that what Tropicanna was saying is that you always were in zone 7b (not 7a). 7b being the warmer side of zone 7. The new guidelines say that we are now in zone 8a, but I don't think many people have changed their zone to reflect that change. It is hard to see from that map. but I believe that Chapel Hill is included in the orange section (8a), not sure if where Tropicanna lives is in the yellow or the orange section.

I am in zone 9 and I was really suprised to see how far north it extends along the east coast. According to the Arbor Day map it includes coastal areas right into Virginia.

http://www.arborday.org/treeinfo/ZoneInfo.cfm?ZipCode=29920&submit=Look+it+up%21

Yeah, they have me in the yellow...I'm convinced 7b because it barely looks like we're in that zone 7 band.....of course I'm under some delusion that it's tropical here, and I plan on pushing the zone limits for some zone 8 and 9 plants this year.

Clementine, after looking at the map, I think tigerlily is right, you're probably more like 8a...so much better than 7a for exotics.

Wow, I don't know why I thought I was in 7a to begin with, but now I am in 8a - or at least close. Thank you Tropicanna and tigerlily for clarifying this for me. I don't do exotics, I am trying to get by with the USUAL stuff, but at least now I have a better excuse if things don't work out.

I'm in Raleigh and the weather is the same as 20 years ago.
I guess I just don't beleive in global warming. But as the earth rotates closer to the sun and asphfault
Jungles are making it hotter.

It says I'm in Zone 8
I'm maybe 30 miles from Chapel Hill.

Lavina

This message was edited Aug 21, 2007 11:34 AM

This message was edited Aug 21, 2007 8:28 PM

i dont believe we need to be worried about global warming. i think it is just a cycle, but i can tell a difference in temps.... none too major though