By FrontDoor.com | Published: 1/16/2009
Ever wonder which plants thrive in your city and which simply can't survive? Want to get a sense of how cold winters are going to be in a particular city? The United States Department of Agriculture maintains a Hardiness Zone Map, which details the lowest temperatures that can be expected each year throughout North America. Gardeners use these maps to determine a plant's winter hardiness in various regions and choose a suitable environment for a landscape plant.
The USDA Hardiness Zone Map is divided into 11 zones, each one 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer (or colder) in an average winter than the adjacent zone. Zones 2-10 are subdivided into light- and dark-colored sections (a and b) that represent 5 degrees Fahrenheit differences within the 10-degree zone. The light color represents the colder section; the dark color, the warmer section. Zone 11 represents any area where the average annual minimum temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and is thus frost free.
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