New Zone Hardiness Map – USDA Update – 2012

From the USDA – Minnesota

The USDA released it’s new Hardiness Zone Map.   Minnesota now can claim a portion of the State being a Zone 5!  (a small part – but a part nonetheless).   A big change is the portion of Zone 4a which now extends further north.  Mary Schier, editor of the Northern Gardener magazine, has a blogpost on this subject – ‘Big Changes for Minnesota in New Hardiness Zone Map.’

 

Despite these changes, caution is advised if you don’t want to run the risk of losing plant materials that may be marginally zone hardy.  On the other hand, it can be an awful lot of fun to experiment with marginal plants that can sometimes be a nice surprise on hardiness and a visual delight.  We’re happy to visit with you about this subject concerning plants you might consider that are “on the edge”.