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Re: California vs Florida climate zones
Thanks for mentioning that. The Sunset Western Garden Book is such a
vital resource for Western gardeners, I didn't even think to mention
it. The White Flower Farm catalog is unusual that it is an east coast-
based publication that addresses the western climate zone issue, at
least for the plants they carry. As a garden writer whose audience is
readers throughout the country, I find it helpful to use the USDA
climate zones that are better known and understood outside the western
region. I understand why Sunset opted to keep their 24 or so zones for
their National Garden Book - they are much more specific and helpful -
but I wish they had worked with the USDA zones as well since that system
is the standard throughout most of the country outside the west.
Catriona
frielster@aol.com wrote:
> That's all well and good for the plants that White Flower Farm lists. Another thing to bear in mind is that in California, the bible is not the USDA zone map but the Sunset Western Garden Book, which lists over 2 dozen separate zones. Unlike USDA's, which are based purely on lowest average winter temps, Sunset's zones take many other factors -- altitude, ocean influence, fog, etc. -- into account.
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>-----Original Message-----
>From: Catriona Tudor Erler <cterler@gardenvista.com>
>To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 3:15 pm
>Subject: [GWL] California vs Florida climate zones
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>For years I wondered why the American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia
>of Plants would list plants as USDA zone 8 or 9 that I knew grew happily
>in zone 10 in San Diego. Pat Welsh, my mentor when I first began garden
>writing 26 years ago, explained it to me. The tropical and subtropical
>areas of Florida and coastal California and much of Arizona are assigned
>the same USDA climate zones (9 and 10) because the average maximum cold
>temperatures in the two regions are similar. However, many plants that
>flourish in the west are not suitable for Florida. In the west, winters
>are wet, and summers are dry. The opposite is true in Florida. There
>the winters are dry, and the rainfall comes in summer. Plus, as Marina
>mentions, in Florida you have humidity. Perhaps because most of the USDA
>researchers are based on the east coast, there is a predisposition to
>assign climate zones to plants that fall into the 9 and 10 zone based on
>their performance in Florida and not in the west. As a result, it's not
>unusual to see a plant, such as the Southern magnolia (Magnolia
>grandiflora), that is listed in The American Horticultural Society A-Z
>Encyclopedia of Garden Plants as hardy in zones 7 - 9, that will grow
>just fine in zone 10 along the coast in southern California.
> The problem caused by this misinformation is solved in the excellent
>catalogue produced by White Flower Farms nursery. In it they break down
>their climate zones listing with recommended zones for the south and for
>the west. For example, Hosta 'Guacamole' is listed hardy for zones 3 -
>8 in the south, 9 in the west.
> Catriona Tudor Erler
>
>Miranda Smith wrote:
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>>Nice to have you here!
>>
>>Miranda
>>
>>On Jan 3, 2008 11:52 AM, <blombem@gvillesun.com> wrote:
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>>>Hi all: I've been reading posts for two years now, and hope to get
>>>involved
>>>in the discussions. I have been writing a garden column for The
>>>Gainesville
>>>(Fla.) Sun for nearly 35 years (it's a side job from my "real job" as a
>>>reporter and editor) and have noticed there aren't many 8b'ers on this
>>>list
>>>(except for those of you in California -- that's an entirely different
>>>zone
>>>8b than ours; we have humidity).
>>>
>>>If this goes through, then I have broken the barrier.
>>>
>>>Marina Blomberg
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>gardenwriters mailing list
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>>>Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
>>>at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos
>>>
>>>Post gardening questions/threads to
>>>"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
>>>
>>>For GWL website and Wiki, go to
>>>http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>_______________________________________________
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>>GWL has searchable archives at:
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>>Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
>>at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos
>>
>>Post gardening questions/threads to
>>"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
>>
>>For GWL website and Wiki, go to
>>http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>_______________________________________________
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>GWL has searchable archives at:
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>
>Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
>at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos
>
>Post gardening questions/threads to
>"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
>
>For GWL website and Wiki, go to
>http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
>
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>GWL has searchable archives at:
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>
>Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
>at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos
>
>Post gardening questions/threads to
>"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
>
>For GWL website and Wiki, go to
>http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
>
>
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>
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