What Plant Hardiness Zone Do You Consider yourself Really? (grow, palms, avocados)

[Isleofpalms85]

I would like to know what your opinion is on the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the United States is and whether you agree or disagree with what Plant Zone Designation they label the area you live as. For Example, Here in Indianapolis, Indiana, this January we have seen 2 nights(in a row mind you) where the low temperature went below 10 Below Zero(-15 F the first night and -14 F the Second night at the airport), So I suppose the the people who made the maps that were based on the 30 year averages were wrong all along. the 30 years of temperature data go from 1976 to 2005, and this supposedly places Indianapolis according to their calculations as a Plant Zone 6-a. But after those two nights I can only come up with two assumptions, either Indianapolis is not a true Zone 6 Climate or Indianapolis is so close to near the Zone 5/6 Boundaries(Zone 5b is maybe 10 or 15 Miles north of Indianapolis) that this winter is an aberrant deviation from the so called average extreme low temperatures people in Indianapolis should expect.

[Pitt Chick]

One oddly cold January does not cancel out 30 year averages....

" What Plant Hardiness Zone Do You Consider yourself Really?"
I do not consider myself a hardiness zone at all! LOL!

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

Borderline of 6 & 7. PittChick is between 5&6 (ski slopes of western PA). This winter though we have downgraded to 6 on dot and Western PA ski slopes would be at the borderline of 4 & 5. I have a Map. Hope it helps:

http://www.forestseedlingnetwork.com...ness_zones.jpg

Fun thing is that the impact of UHI is pronounced here. Look at the blob around downtown Pittsburgh & Chicago. So, I could technically grow my NJ plants in Pitt as long as I live downtown .

Its mostly the persistence of cold which has been a story this year for us. Lows in single digits occur at least once every winter. This year, We saw -5 F as or coldest low. But usually our coldest low is around 5 F. Not a pronounced difference.

[Isleofpalms85]

Originally Posted by Adi from the Brunswicks

Borderline of 6 & 7. PittChick is between 5&6 (ski slopes of western PA). This winter though we have downgraded to 6 on dot and Western PA ski slopes would be at the borderline of 4 & 5. I have a Map. Hope it helps:

http://www.forestseedlingnetwork.com...ness_zones.jpg

Fun thing is that the impact of UHI is pronounced here. Look at the blob around downtown Pittsburgh & Chicago. So, I could technically grow my NJ plants in Pitt as long as I live downtown .

Its mostly the persistence of cold which has been a story this year for us. Lows in single digits occur at least once every winter. This year, We saw -5 F as or coldest low. But usually our coldest low is around 5 F. Not a pronounced difference.

I agree with you, This Winter in Indianapolis has Been near the cut off point between Zone 5a and 5b, a downgrade from the supposed Borderline Zone 6a/5b Designation that most winters are here in the Indianapolis area.we usually dip down to between -5 or -10 Degrees in Indianapolis most winters, so this winter in Central Indiana has been one of the uglier winters we have seen in the last 15 to 20 years(that -15 was the coldest reading in about 20 years)

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by Adi from the Brunswicks

PittChick is between 5&6 (ski slopes of western PA).

My immediate area is 5(a).

[luv4horses]

If I recall, the metric is that in 5 out of 6 yrs. the plants will survive to {} degrees. So, in the 6th year the plants might not survive.

[gentlearts]

You ask a very interesting question. I am in zone 8, but it seems as though every few years there is a quirky cold snap that skews the minimum temperature. Like right now, for example.

[RoaminRebel]

Hard to say since these designations are inherently flawed to exclude annual rainfall, humidity, soil type, etc...

[Dakotafl]

I am in Zone 10a South Brevard county fl, In a freak winter we can dip into the upper 20s but almost all winters we never drop below the 30F, that is on the mainland, on the barrier islands it meets the 10b requirement.

We have Trees like Avocados, Mangos, Royal Poinciana, Royal Palms, Coconut Palms, Queen Palms ect, only in the worst winter will they be damaged.

[Isleofpalms85]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

My immediate area is 5(a).

Is that going by the updated 2012 version or the old 1990 version of the plant hardiness map? Not that it matters much since many northern areas except the Northeast have had colder than what the new 2012 plant hardiness map would suggest as being the average.