We spent a week in a completely different hardiness zone this week, and it was a chance to see how latitude and elevation can change your gardening experience entirely. While SoCal is enjoying full-blown spring weather, places with snow are at least a month away from planting anything outdoors.
Let’s look at hardiness zones and what they mean. To start, your hardness zone depends on where you live, be it coastal, mountains, valleys, and northern or southern latitudes.
What are Hardiness Zones?
Hardiness zones are based on how cold it gets where you live, and is defined by the minimum temperatures in each of the 13 zones. Each zone is broken down into A and B zones for a total of 26 zones. The coldest zones are located in the northern-most central part of the map, warming as you move south toward the equator and outward toward the coasts.
Why Pay Attention to Them?
Zones are helpful in determining whether your perennial plants and trees will survive the coldest temperatures your area has to offer. Annual crops usually die at the first sign of frost or a hard freeze, but perennials and some hardy annuals can live through colder temperatures if they are rated for that zone.
For example: citrus trees are rated for zones 9-11, which means if you try to grow them in zones 4-8 they won’t survive unless they are brought indoors over winter. That’s because the minimum temperatures in zone 9 is 20-25ºF, and zone 4 has a minimum temperature of -30 to -25ºF. Yikes! Zone 8 is closer at 10-15ºF, but still could cause damage to citrus trees.
Right Plant, Right Zone
When you begin your journey to find the right plants for your garden, check seed catalogs and online resources to figure out what zones are safe for growing your desired plant. If you are outside the recommended hardiness zone for that particular variety, search for a different variety with a zone rating to match your own. Breeders are always trying to produce plants that thrive in all different hardiness zones.
That said, some catalogs will not guarantee their plants if you purchase from outside the recommended zone. You may have to sign a waiver to accept a no-refund policy when you buy. That’s why we recommend buying plants that will thrive on their own in your zone.
So don’t be afraid to plant something new this spring. Just check the zone ratings before you set your heart on an exotic variety. You’ll be happier when you stick to your zone.
