Re: Zones
- To: Louise Parsons
- Subject: Re: Zones
- From: r*
- Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 13:30:07 -0700 (PDT)
I'd like to endorse every word Ms. Parsons wrote, "including and,
but and the." (Pace, Mesdames McCarthy & Hellman.) I'd suggest
further spending some old-fashioned
afternoons in an old-fashioned institution: the nearest library. Make
that a university (or college) library, if you have one
within reach, and better yet, one connected with a botanical garden.
Internet information on these subjects is at this stage at the least
predictably "gross
generalizations." But avoid any information on the Internet or in the
library supplied by the tourism industry. My procedure has
always been to start by learning about the weather (and geography) in my
own locale, then take the plants I'm interested in and learn about the
weather and geography of their natural habitat. Lots of surprises, not
the least finding plants, like people, that refuse to conform.
Richard Riedy
Los Lunas, New Mexico
Winter: USDA Zones 5/6 by night; 7/8 by day
Summer: Hades
On Mon, 27 Sep 1999, Louise Parsons wrote:
> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 08:25:52 -0700
> From: Louise Parsons <parsont@peak.org>
> To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: Re: Zones
>
> At 03:58 PM 9/26/1999 GMT, David Poole wrote:
> >whilst USDA zones may prove applicable in
> >continental type climates, they do not really apply to those with a
> >strongly maritime climate. The debate about the validity of zones has
> >erupted on many occasions here in the UK this year and the general
> >consensus is that they cannot be applied here due to the extreme
> >multiplicity of microclimates and very peculiar nature of our weather.
>
> On Alpine-L, UK garden author/botanist/ecologist Dr. John Grimshaw called
> the USDA zones "rubbish". We got quite a chuckle out of that when I the
> privilege of meeting him. Zones are useful only as a gross
> generalization. Sunset sure blew it with our zone here in Corvallis,
> Oregon in the mid-Willamette Valley. Our mintemp is as low as -15F. The
> maritime influence is sometimes mitigated here by the proximity of the
> highest peak in the coast ranges, which alas, sometimes blocks the maritime
> air during the most aggressive Polar air masses.
>
> We get ~late frosts and as is the case with the UK, microclimate is a
> factor of far greater importance than zones. I have sheltered areas in my
> gardens that are nearly frost-free, but there are also fierce
> "frost-pocket" areas as well where the soil heaves and popcorns.
>
> The most adventuresome gardeners tend to take zones with a grain of
> salt....Tony Avent's "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it
> at least three times" or words to that effect. I also recall a wonderfully
> humorous slide talk by Heronswood Nursery's Dan Hinkley ("Gourmet Woodies
> for the Pacific Northwest Garden" 1995 North American Rock Garden Society
> Study Weekend) who gave countless examples of "breaking the rules" by
> several USDA notches on both the high and the low end of his "zone".
>
> What is more illuminating though for making inferences is to at least have
> the geographic location. This is helpful in a general way to get oriented
> to the person's situation.
> Cheers, Louise
> Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet
> mind is adequate perception of the world.
> --Hans Margolius
>
>
