plant-zones « WordPress.com Tag Feed

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones and 'average first frost free dates' explained

giant veggie gardener — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:47:14 +0000

So what are USDA Plant Hardiness Zones? And what is this ‘first frost free date’ we hear

Plant Hardiness: USDA System

Gardora — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:22:02 +0000

A way to determine the hardiness of plants is the USDA system! Some maps of plant hardiness zones:
http://j.mp/JTj0ZM

4 Tips For Picking The Right Pond Plants | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

thepondguy — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:19:33 +0000

How Do I Know Which Plants Are Right For My Pond?

Alice – Chesterfield, VA

Know your hardiness zone. The USDA publishes a hardiness zone map that shows in which areas of the country various types of plants can survive and grow. The majority of your pond plants should be from your hardiness zone because they are best able to tolerate the year-round conditions of your area.

Know your pond’s depth. Some pond plants prefer deep water and some pond plants prefer shallow. Hardy water lilies prefer deep water, for example, while bog plants prefer shallow.

Know what type of sun exposure your pond receives. In addition to hardiness zones, plants also are categorized by the type of light they like to receive (full sun, partial sun, or shade). Marsh Marigolds yearn for sun, while Clyde Ikins Water Lily can tolerate the shade.

Know your pond’s flow. This is a factor that water gardeners often overlook. Some pond plants love moving water while others prefer the water stand still. Dwarf cattails, for example, do well in streams because they enjoy moving water, but water lilies are not fans of being right underneath a waterfall.

SproutRobot / AlexRobot

smallpuppy — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:09:23 +0000

A friend recently told me about a new website that promises to help gardeners schedule when to plant

Plant Zones Moving North, Charlotte NC Just Barely Remains in Zone 7b

smallpuppy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:14:36 +0000

One of my first steps before planning my garden is to determine my city’s plant/gardening zone

Perennial, definition

EcoScapers — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:12:59 +0000

Perennial: As in a plant that recurs on a yearly basis in your Zone. A plant can be considered a perennial in a warmer zone, and an annual in a cooler climate. A perennial plant will live 3 years or more.

An herbacious perennial: a plant with non woody stems, will die back in winter and return the next year. Eg. Peonies, Coral Bells

A woody perennial: a plant with woody stems, have buds that stay above ground over winter. E.g. Trees

Zone confusion?

joenesgarden — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:18:41 +0000

Zone maps provide gardeners with plant hardiness information. Seasoned gardeners tend to get the nu

Most Unusual

liajo — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:32:28 +0000

Most people think of native plants as being kind of plain jane’s. And let’s face it, we all like the shock effect every now and then. Who wouldn’t want to have the most unusual plants on the block.

But think before you order and plant. One of my seed catalogs has a most unusual flower called the Bat flower and it is different. It’s almost black which is different and has bracts that look like whiskers on a cat that almost reach the ground. Most unusual.

There are a few problems though, the plant is native of China, which is a long way from Colorado. It’s zones are 10-11 and prefers high humidity, so about the only place it would do well is my bathroom. The cost isn’t unreasonable at about $10, but that’s still a lot when it’s a pretty sure bet the plant won’t live 6 months.

So as much as I would like to be the first on my block to have a Bat flower, I’ll take a pass and look for some of the plain jane plants that will not only do well in Colorado but thrive for years to come.