I’m excited that the new USDA Zone Map is out and we can all go to it online and check it out. The map, which helps gardeners decide which plants can survive the winter in their garden, has not been updated in over 20 years and some of the zones have now changed. (The online map contains both the old version and the new so you can compare them and see if yours has changed.)
The new information is more precise, because of more detailed weather data collected in the last few decades, and also because the winters have been slightly warmer during that time. Just remember though, that the information given for plants in catalogs is based on the old zone designation and it will take years for the new information to trickle down throughout the books and catalogs.
Photo credit for map: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/
by Rosalind Creasy