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Find your USDA Hardiness Zone w/ ZIP Code
to look up your USDA hardiness zone
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USDA Hardiness Garden Zones Finder
The temperatures shown on the garden zones map are referred to as “average annual minimum temperatures” and are based on the lowest temperatures recorded for each of the years 1974 to 1986 in the United States and Canada and 1971 to 1984 in Mexico. The map shows 10 different planting zones, each of which represents an area of winter hardiness for the plants of agriculture and the natural landscape. It also introduces zone 11 to represent areas that have average annual minimum temperatures above 40 F (4.4 C) and that are therefore essentially frost free.
Find the USDA Hardiness Zone you are in by using THIS MAP:
Garden Zones 2-10 in the map have been subdivided into light- and dark-colored sections (a and b) that represent 5 F (2.8 C) differences within the 10 F (5.6 C) planting zones. The light color of each zone represents the colder section; the dark color, the warmer section. Zone 11 represents any area where the average annual minimum temperature is above 40 F (4.4 C). The map shows 20 latitude and longitude lines. Areas above an arbitrary elevation are traditionally considered unsuitable for plant cropping and do not bear appropriate planting zone designations. There are also island planting zones that, because of elevation differences, are warmer or cooler than the surrounding areas and are given a different planting zone designation. Note that many large urban areas carry a warmer planting zone designation than the surrounding countryside. The map-contains as much detail as possible, considering the vast amount of data on which it is based and its size.
In using the Planting/Garden Zone map to select a suitable environment for a landscape plant, today’s gardeners should keep in mind the following:
- Stress Factors. Acid rain, gaseous and particulate pollution, security lighting, and toxic wastes, among many other stress factors, have significantly increased the potential for unsatisfactory performance of landscape plants. We need to document the tolerances of plants to these factors.
- New Plant Management Systems. New techniques of planting, transplanting, watering, fertilizing, and providing pest control measures have done much to increase the vigor of landscape plants. But used unwisely, these same measures can reduce plant hardiness.
- Artificial Environments. The use of plants has been pushed into totally artificial environments such as expressways, malls, elevated decks, and buildings where plant roots are totally removed from the ground and its warming influence. The assortment of plants that can adapt to such environments is proving to be very restricted. Hardiness ratings alone are inadequate to guide landscapers in selecting the most successful plants.
The USDA Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into 11 separate zones; each zone is 10°F warmer (or colder) in an average winter than the adjacent zone. If you see a hardiness zone in a catalog or plant description, chances are it refers to the USDA map. To find your USDA Hardiness Zone, enter your zip code or use the map below. Click here for more information about hardiness maps.
You can click the Button above and try our Interactive Map, OR just enter your ZIP Code Below for an INSTANT Answer:
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11/03/2014 @ 1:17 pm
Thanks for this very helpful USDA Zone Map!! I’ve always wondered what Zone I lived in. Now I do.
-David S.
12/14/2015 @ 4:12 pm
No Probs
03/15/2016 @ 5:04 pm
This is a great place for beautiful plants. The likes of which I can`t wait to see. I was wondering if I could put these with my sun flower plants as the combo would be magnificent. What time of year to start the planting we are at the Ides Of March and ready for some fun. Aina Haina Alu like dat. About how big can my garden be or how small? How about the soil we are kinda sandy but then we have volcanic soil too . Any advice would be applied.
Mahalo
-John Fitzgerald
08/24/2017 @ 9:50 am
I live in zone 9a&am looking for tips on growing poppies somniferum. It is my 1st time&i have threw seeds out¬hing! Idk if it is where I bought my seeds or what it’s not cold here I hear they like to sprout in the colder temps.i need some tips on growing&where to buy good seeds also ty for your time & info
09/27/2017 @ 9:42 pm
Ok, well. Sorry to hear about your loss.
But if u bought from us, you would have received an invoice directing you to all our In-Depth Growing Tutorials.
We put close to 20 years of info into our Tutorials, so be sure to explore the Menu on our Website.
https://giphy.com/gifs/klAgJrvpwjEk0/html5
10/11/2018 @ 9:40 am
still waiting for my order to come since September 26th
10/15/2018 @ 4:15 am
PLEASE SEE OUR FACEBOOK UPDATE HERE
THANKS!!
05/08/2019 @ 8:39 am
I have read many posts here and I see people having the same problems that I did when I started growing poppies. You have to realize that you are farming and you have to dedicate a hour or two everyday in your garden. If you don’t put in the work your results will be small plants with few pods or they will die from neglect. Everyday you need to water, weed, protect from animals, high winds and cut off dead lower leaves when the plants fruit to keep the stems dry. When the plants are cabbage to bolt stage they need to be fertilized every two weeks. Most problems are from plant spacing. Plants that are planted too close together will not let air circulate enough to keep the lower stems dry which leads to stems getting soggy and the plant dies from damping off fungus. This year I spaced my plants 12″ apart with great results. Next year I’m going to space at 16″ because at 12″ the plants overlap in th cabbage stage. I tried using an Earthbox one year with amazing results until this problem happened to all the plants at the same time. The problem is that potting mix is always damp in an Earthbox and poppies need well drained soil.
Timing is critical, you have to plant at the precise time for your location. I live in zone 9a so the seedling have to be in the ground the 1st or 2nd week of December. This year we had a hard rain here for 3days straight the same week I planted my seedlings. Over half off the seedlings died, the rain just pounded them flat so I had to germinate more plants. Some of the plants were not in the ground until mid- January and never flowered. My plants start blooming every year around March 18- 20 and continue to flower for a month or longer. Different poppies have varied life cycles but only the Afghans will flower in less than 100 days.
Several of my plants died from the fungus or disease that turns the inside of the stems into a purlpe jelly and the leaves wilt. These plants had less sun exposure than the rest of my garden so I assume they were not drying out enough after watering because of lack of sunlight. No matter what you do you will lose some plants, so grow more plants and cull the sick ones.
This year I grew several Afghans with 10 or more pods and the best one had 17 fruits. The tallest plant is a Persian Blue crossbreed that has topped out at 5’8″ with 5 large pods. Not too bad for an infidel.