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The USDA just released their new 2023 hardiness zone map using data from 1991-2020. Interesting to see what's changed. Miami is now zone 11a, Orlando is 10a, Houston is 9b, Austin and Seattle are 9a, most of Washington DC and Baltimore and all of Raleigh is 8a, Nashville is 7b, parts of Chicago by the lakefront are 6b, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul is 5a.
100% wrong for elevated areas of southern Indiana. It should be zone 6B at a minimum as there was a low temperature last December of -11F with a wind chill of -35F.
I have no idea why southern Indiana is not at a 6B. I have all northern trees in my yard along with evergreens that grow commonly in plant hardiness zones 5 and 4. The winter season is the fastest warming season, but there are few high temperatures over 90F during most of the warmer months with the dense tree cover.
I have no idea why southern Indiana is not at a 6B. I have all northern trees in my yard along with evergreens that grow commonly in plant hardiness zones 5 and 4. The winter season is the fastest warming season, but there are few high temperatures over 90F during most of the warmer months with the dense tree cover.
It simply uses yearly minimums for 30 years from 1991-2020 and averages them out. Maybe there is a lack of weather stations in Southern Indiana, maybe they're in favorable locations for warmth, but they just use the raw data to determine the zone. Likewise, Westchester county in NY is mostly 7a and they can grow the same trees you can, like you said, because of it not being too hot in the summer. It's not like those trees need it to be as cold as the U.P. in winter to grow. Which trees do you mean? Norway spruce? Paper birch? Balsam Fir? Eastern White Pine? Tamarack? Aspen?
I'm in a 6b myself and we have a lot of Northern Red Oak, Pin Oak, Honeylocust, Sycamore, Eastern White Pine, Norway Spruce, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, and Silver Maple.
Zone 4-5 isn't that cold. That's basically my climate. The main trees here are red maple, sugar maple and more red maple... Plus hickories, black walnut, white pine, white cedar, hemlock, poplar, white birch, and up until recently, ash (rip).
Balsam Fir and Tamarack will still grow well in zone 4-5 if planted, but I think they get out-competed by other species in the wild.
I have lots of sugar maple, red maple, eastern white pine, Norway spruce, eastern hemlock, red oak, tulip poplar, beech, white birch, and black gum. I have planted some Canaan Fir, a close variety of Balsam Fir- that have grown well in karst soils with sandy/loam mixed in.
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