Hardiness Zones: Changing?

What planting zone are we in? Often the hardiness zone a particular plant will grow in appears on the plant tag, so this is important information you need to know.

I’ve always planted as though we’re in USDA Zone 8, although many of my master gardener friends have told me we’re in zone 7. Our garden does have a sheltered location. We probably have a microclimate since our property slopes to the south, providing our plants with protection from those cold north winter winds.

But what zone are we truly in? Drastic changes in average low temperatures over the last several years have caused many to believe the USDA Hardiness Zone map is out of date. The last update occurred in 1990. A new map was proposed in 2003, but rejected. The National Arbor Day Foundation decided to go ahead and update their map anyway, and it’s worth taking a look at. They used data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to formulate the new map. According to them, the changes in average low temperatures have changed so much that planting zones would change by as much as two zones!

I’ve noticed myself for years that several of my "houseplants" return each summer in our shade garden. Among them are spider plant, split-leaf philodendron, and butterfly plant.

Well, anyway, according to the new Arbor Day Foundation hardiness zone map, we’re now in Zone 8!

You can take a look at the map yourself, by going to www.arborday.org. This new information gives us many more plant choices for our garden!

Erythronium: Trout Lily, Dog Tooth Violet, Fawn Lily

Erythronium is a native woodland plant with some interesting common names: Trout Lily, Fawn Lily, and Dog Tooth Violet.

The bulb is shaped like a dog's tooth, hence the common name Dog Tooth Violet. Apparently the common names Trout Lily and Fawn Lily make reference to the spots on the foliage.

Erythronium is native to the western US--an easy to grow bulbous perennial for the native plant garden. Quite rare, this plant would be a nice find for your shade garden.

The beautiful blooms are elegant and very unusual 6-petaled flowers on tall stems held high above the foliage. Blooms appear in mid to late spring.

The leaves are just as beautiful as the flowers, in my opinion. The foliage forms clumps of glossy foliage with attractive bronze mottling.

Erythronium dens canis is my favorite with beautiful speckled foliage and blooms that are rose pink to purple.

Erythronium White Beauty is very striking with its large white blooms having brown basal spots and foliage with white and brown veins to match the blooms.

Erythronium tuolumnense shows off with bright yellow blooms that have a green center. Leaves on this one are a soft solid green (no mottling.)

Erythronium must be planted in early fall to give the bulbs plenty of time to establish and grow in preparation for spring bloom. It requires moisture-retentive, fertile soil such as is found in woodland conditions. Erythronium should receive regular water, especially in spring when leaves are emerging, but less in late summer into fall as the plant prepares for winter dormancy.

Trout Lily can be grown just about anywhere in the United States, since it is hardy in USDA Zones 3-8.

No matter which common name you prefer to call this lovely plant, you'll love it planted at the base of a large tree or in a shady rock garden.

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Aesculus pavia: Red Buckeye Bloom in October!

Speaking of climate change, this crazy weather causes unusual phenomenon in the garden!

Take a look at the photo of our Red Buckeye Tree blooming today--October 16, 2009.

The Red Buckeye normally blooms in March here. This particular tree has a few other bloom buds getting ready to open within the next few days. I hope that doesn't mean it won't bloom in March, when I will be searching for signs of spring.

Climate Change: You Can Do Something!

Climate change--there's a lot of talk about climate change these days. And there are many skeptics out there. I'm not a scientist, and in this post I will not pretend to know a lot of facts to either promote or disprove the idea of global warming.

I will say this: we're having some crazy weather! Two and three years ago, Georgia was under a severe drought. Farmers lost their livelihood, garden centers went out of business, and I personally lost most of my bigleaf hydrangeas--shrubs that had been established for several years. Record breaking heat waves and no rain for several weeks at a time is more than many shrubs can tolerate.

This year, on the other hand, Georgia has had more rain than we want! Severe flood damage occurred just a few weeks ago and threatens us again. (Actually, prior to the drought we had a few years ago, we received too much rain. I remember we received so much rain that area creeks and the Chattahoochee River swelled, washing away roads and bridges.) Yes, it's a fact--Weather patterns do change.

And it's that thought that brings me to my favorite topic: native plants! I've written many posts advocating the use of native plants. If you've followed my writings for long, you know that I love native plants for their tolerance to adverse weather conditions including excessive heat, humidity, and drought.

It is for Blog Action Day that I write my thoughts today. Whether you believe our climate is really changing or not, and whether or not you believe Global Warming is a fact or a myth, the right thing for you and me to do is whatever we can to protect our environment. We must protect the environment for our children and for our grandchildren.

These are simple suggestions, and this is what we do here at Shady Gardens to help the environment:

• Plant native plants instead of invasive exotics. In a nutshell, native plants will survive drought causing you to use less water when watering plants is restricted. Please read my previous posts on this topic.
• Use organic pest control methods instead of poisons which can kill more than just the pest you wish to remove. Biological insect control can be something as simple as attracting ladybugs into the garden. 'No kill' rodent traps are available providing good results without the use of dangerous chemicals. (You need the Mice Cube!)
  
• Use organic fertilizers instead of synthetic ones. Chemical fertilizers can be poisonous, and they really are junk food for the plants. Compost and other organic soil amendments make plants healthier and stronger. Some organic fertilizers such as compost tea actually help to ward off plant disease.

We are stewards of this great country we live in--caretakers of all that is around us. As gardeners, we must do our part to protect and preserve nature. I hope you will join me in planting native plants that provide homes, habitat, and food for wildlife. And then do nothing to poison the little creatures!