Ever tried to decipher one of these gardening zone maps? Unless you have a microscope to examine the minute details, you're unlikely to be able to tell what kind of plants thrive best in your area. Don't worry gentle readers, try this neat tool I found call the "Zone Finder". Once you type in your zip code, the resulting information includes links to various types of plants and gardening techniques that are appropriate for your zone.Here is Utah's information from Zone Finder:
Zone 5
"Although gardeners in Zone 5 still experience winter cold, this zone benefits from lower latitudes and an ocean influence. In the eastern United States, it stretches across Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and along the seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire. It continues through western Massachusetts and midstate New York, northern Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, much of Michigan, southern Iowa and Nebraska, northern Missouri and Kansas, and eastern Colorado. In the interior West, this zone forms a patchwork pattern that extends from New Mexico into British Columbia, the southern Alaskan coast and the Aleutians. Gardeners here can grow apples and plants such as Cornus florida (flowering dogwood), Deutzia gracillis (slender deutzia), Ligustrum vulgare (common privet), Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston ivy), Rosa multiflora (Japanese rose) and Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew)."
Far be it from me to argue with the Zone Finder, but not only am I not really sure what it actually just said, but neither do I recognize any of these plants. Further, I haven't felt an ocean breeze here for at least .... well, never. However, we do know for sure that we are zone 5, and we've got our favorite plant-junkies at our favorite nurseries to help us sort it all out.
Happy planting. :-)
Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker
