Hello everyone,
I subscribe to a wonderful Canadian gardening magazine simply called "The
Gardener". Their main focus is gardening information for cool climates.
Where I live in eastern Ontario, about an hour west of Ottawa, I fall within the parameters of their magazine. What I like most about it is that whatever they can grow out there on the Canadian prairies, I should be able to grow here. Also, much as I adore British gardening magazine and I do buy a couple, The Gardener is much more realistic. They do not feature exotics that I do have a hope of being able to grow. I love that.
In the latest issue, Spring 2015, there is an article which states that Canada has changed the Canadian Hardiness Zone map. This has been based on data collected between 1981 and 2010.
I immediately went to the website, www.planthardiness.gc.ca, and found out that my zone has changed from 4b to 5a. I am very happy about that but the fact that I lost three zone 4 fruit trees last winter makes me beg to differ with that data. I suppose the "polar vortex" had something to do with that but we have certainly had our share of frigid temperatures this winter also.
The government website also includes the USDA Hardiness Zones which actually gives you the "Extreme Minimum Temperature Zones". When I checked that one, I am still in zone 4b.
While I think it may be very tempting to accept the change to zone 5a, the prudent gardener in me prefers to err on the side of caution and make my important planting decisions (like the replacement fruit trees) based on the USDA model of zone 4b.
I am certainly not averse to trying a few plants from zone 5 to have a go at them but I would not want to bet my winter food stores on it. The apple trees should certainly be OK for this area, in fact, all of them made it through last winter just fine. I did lose my peach (a rare Zone 4 hardy specimen called Reliance), a Pear and a Cherry. The Nectarine was hanging on by the skin of it's teeth, as they say. I will not be surprised if it is gone this spring due to another brutal winter.
I will remove the dead trees this Spring and prepare the sites for the newcomers which I will not likely plant until the fall. I will have to do some research to decide which trees to buy. While I may be tempted to have another try at the varieties that died, I think I will likely stick to the safer ones, namely zone 4 or cooler.
Thanks so much for visiting. Hope you have a wonderful day. Cheers.
I subscribe to a wonderful Canadian gardening magazine simply called "The
Gardener". Their main focus is gardening information for cool climates.
Where I live in eastern Ontario, about an hour west of Ottawa, I fall within the parameters of their magazine. What I like most about it is that whatever they can grow out there on the Canadian prairies, I should be able to grow here. Also, much as I adore British gardening magazine and I do buy a couple, The Gardener is much more realistic. They do not feature exotics that I do have a hope of being able to grow. I love that.
In the latest issue, Spring 2015, there is an article which states that Canada has changed the Canadian Hardiness Zone map. This has been based on data collected between 1981 and 2010.
I immediately went to the website, www.planthardiness.gc.ca, and found out that my zone has changed from 4b to 5a. I am very happy about that but the fact that I lost three zone 4 fruit trees last winter makes me beg to differ with that data. I suppose the "polar vortex" had something to do with that but we have certainly had our share of frigid temperatures this winter also.
The government website also includes the USDA Hardiness Zones which actually gives you the "Extreme Minimum Temperature Zones". When I checked that one, I am still in zone 4b.
While I think it may be very tempting to accept the change to zone 5a, the prudent gardener in me prefers to err on the side of caution and make my important planting decisions (like the replacement fruit trees) based on the USDA model of zone 4b.
I am certainly not averse to trying a few plants from zone 5 to have a go at them but I would not want to bet my winter food stores on it. The apple trees should certainly be OK for this area, in fact, all of them made it through last winter just fine. I did lose my peach (a rare Zone 4 hardy specimen called Reliance), a Pear and a Cherry. The Nectarine was hanging on by the skin of it's teeth, as they say. I will not be surprised if it is gone this spring due to another brutal winter.
I will remove the dead trees this Spring and prepare the sites for the newcomers which I will not likely plant until the fall. I will have to do some research to decide which trees to buy. While I may be tempted to have another try at the varieties that died, I think I will likely stick to the safer ones, namely zone 4 or cooler.
Thanks so much for visiting. Hope you have a wonderful day. Cheers.
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