You’ve seen it before, rainbow-colored stripes brightening a map of the United States. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone maps line the backs of seed packets, and are tucked into how-to garden publications, indispensable illustrations that they are. Knowing in which zone your garden lies is key to understanding which plants are likely to survive the cold. At local nurseries, or in catalogs as you’re selecting seeds or transplants for your garden, you’ll find a reference on the little tabs stuck into pots or in descriptions. The frozen north is icy purple and blue, while the tropical South is a hot, deep red. Kentucky? Generally is greenish, Zone 6a, 6b or 7, depending on where you are.
Places generally have shifted to about five degrees warmer over the last 20 years or so. For an interactive map, where you can enter a zip code or view a larger map of your state, CLICK HERE: NEW USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP
That Web-site has links to other maps, and is fun to explore. With just a quick glance, I’ve begun to wonder why I’m not in Puerto Rico right now, and also how it could be that the Aleutian Islands are in the same zone as Kentucky. Must be currents and winds!
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