What is the Hardiness Zone Map?
A hardiness zone map is a map that splits the US or any state or other country into zones based on coldest temperature. These maps can be very useful for gardeners because they give one indication of how well plants will grow within a specific area and whether the temperature would be so cold that it might kill certain plants. By knowing where you live, you can look at a hardiness zone map (there are many online ones) and determine whether a plant you want will grow well or might die in your zone. There are actually a few versions of the hardiness zone map for different areas. In the US, plant stores may use the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness zone map, but in some of the Western United States, some stores still go by Sunset Magazine’s climate map, which was developed over forty years ago. If you’re ordering from a seed or gardening catalog and you live in a western state, you may want to see which criteria is being used by the catalog or by your local nursery. The USDA h
