Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No need to get testy...I don't work for NOAA...I only copy their maps:
The map is about 2 to 2.9 F off going by their current data.
that map was off by 3°F in many Southern cities. and it is very easy to notice
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavehunter007
In my experience - no…at least from Charleston southward. I was in St. Augustine at the end of this February, and while this was one of the coldest winters in 50 years in Florida – there were still the common insects that one would encounter in a temperate climate summer (ie, ants, flying bugs). This was not to say it was “buggy” at all, as they spray 12 months a year in Florida. Several times I have been out at the islands off Charleston (Folly, Sullivans, Isle of Palms), and the famous “Palmetto Bugs as big as Volkswagens (lol) would be seen now and then. As I showed above, a daily high even below 45 F is very rare in Charleston, maybe 2 times a month in an average winter, with average daily highs in the middle of winter near 60 F.
As for the milder than north Florida part – are you sure about? I think most cities in Florida are warmer than Charleston in each of the three winter months. I didn't do a spot check, but here are the aves for Jan (the coldest months)
from my experience... yes. North Florida and Central Florida get 1-2 cold snaps per year that "mow down the bug count". its actually nice to walk into a restaurant in February and have it not be infested with flies. and also there are no bugs in my shed in the winter. i start seeing them again in late March.
and no it was not a super cold winter this year. Florida was actually pretty close to average this last winter.
Last edited by Sir Goosenseresworthie; 04-18-2015 at 08:04 PM..
If all you care about is humidity. If you like to grow subtropical plants, or care about stability in your winter temperatures, Sydney by miles wins. A gardener in Charleston never knows which winter will kill years of hard work.
If all you care about is humidity. If you like to grow subtropical plants, or care about stability in your winter temperatures, Sydney by miles wins. A gardener in Charleston never knows which winter will kill years of hard work.
amen to that.
pick Charleston if you like having all of the bad stuff that comes with a subtropical climate (hot and humid, bugs, etc.) with almost none of the benefits (very few tender plants survive the winters)
Humidity, lightning, and exciting cold snaps are what make the deep south great.
Quote:
If you like to grow subtropical plants, or care about stability in your winter temperatures, Sydney by miles wins. A gardener in Charleston never knows which winter will kill years of hard work.
I love subtropical plants, such as sabal palms, live oaks with Spanish moss, and longleaf/slash pines. I don't see how Australia could compete with coastal South Carolina.
Humidity, lightning, and exciting cold snaps are what make the deep south great.
I love subtropical plants, such as sabal palms, live oaks with Spanish moss, and longleaf/slash pines. I don't see how Australia could compete with coastal South Carolina.
Lol if you consider those subtropical plants. New Castle can grow those and loads more. I believe I saw live oaks in Wales when I was there. They are barely subtropical plants, and certainly not signature subtropical plants. I wouldn't call Charleston dropping to 6F exciting. I'd call it devastating which is what most gardeners thought at the time. Cold snaps can be exciting, but they are just far too extreme in the Southeast.
Lol if you consider those subtropical plants. New Castle can grow those and loads more. I believe I saw live oaks in Wales when I was there. They are barely subtropical plants, and certainly not signature subtropical plants. I wouldn't call Charleston dropping to 6F exciting. I'd call it devastating which is what most gardeners thought at the time. Cold snaps can be exciting, but they are just far too extreme in the Southeast.
i have to say i agree with G8RCAT about Charleston being more exciting. plenty of thunderstorms in the summer, even the cold fronts bring thunderstorms in the winter. and the temperature variation definitely gives a nice change of pace. its an exciting place. i just hate it when it drops below 32°F/0°C. i'm okay with 55°F/35°F days, but its the 40°F/20°F days that i really hate. maybe my skin thinned out and has acclimated to the hot temps and humidity that is present for most of the year, because whenever one of those bad cold snaps come my hands can crack and bleed. the air gets so dry after a cold snap. must be single digit humidity. and its kind of weird because i used to live in New England years ago and my skin wasn't that bad in the winter!
anyway, what? Sabal not a signature subtropical??? they are native to Caribbean islands and Mexico which have full blown tropical climates. definitely not a signature tropical plant but it is definitely a signature subtropical plant.
that being said, Newcastle is far better for subtropical plants and even some tropical plants will survive there. i know Brisbane and Gold Coast have a lot of tropical plants like Manila Palms and Alexander Palms (some of my favorite) and you will only see those in South Florida. Adonidia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptychosperma_elegans
Last edited by Sir Goosenseresworthie; 04-19-2015 at 12:47 PM..
i believe hardiness for those is 10a. like with a lot of tropical plants people try to grow them beyond their intended range. i've seen some Foxtail Palms in Orlando, Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, and even a few in St. Augustine. I remember seeing one as far north as Fernandina Beach. unfortunately they will all eventually die. even ones in 10a may die if the 1980's return.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
