I feel like it might be time for some clarification for my new but possibly far away friends.

In the banner I refer to “North America’s Pacific Northwest,” although is not really geographically accurate since, strictly speaking North America’s pacific northwest is Alaska, and perhaps some northern British Columbia. And a lot of these plants would be not happy there. At all.

I live on the very southwestern tip of Canada, on Vancouver Island. “The Pacific Northwest” is a term that works more from the perspective of the continental USA, but is an apt description, because our climate here has more in common with Washington and Oregon, than it does with ANYWHERE else in Canada.

The USDA hardiness zone here is 8 (8a or 8b, depending on elevation, proximity to the ocean, shelter, etc). This is important to know as a gardener; it will tell you what plants will thrive where you are, and which won’t.

The zones are based on the average yearly minimum temperature of a place. For example, the coldest it ever gets here (averaged over many years) is between 10 and 20 degrees F, or between -12 and -7 degrees C. Therefore, if a plant is said to be “hardy to zone 8” it means that it will remain alive if the temperature dips 10F (-12C), but not if it gets much colder. These are approximations, obviously.

Applying the same minimum temperature criteria tells us that our zone sweeps down the pacific coast and across the more northerly sections of Texas, through parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, South and North Carolina, to name a few. Further afield, we share a climate with parts of Spain, France, and Italy, New Zealand, Australia, as well as parts of China and much of Japan (lots of our plants come from Japan – they’re the ones with “japonica” in their Latin name.) Virtually all of the UK and Ireland are zone 8. To check what USDA zone you are- almost anywhere in the world- click here.

A word of caution, though. Cold isn’t the only thing that effects plant health. Extremes of heat, humidity, wind, etc can also determine the health of a given plant. For example, some plants that will tolerate full sun near the ocean will require some afternoon shade if grown inland. Sunset magazine, a publication that caters primarily to western US, has come up with their own hardiness zones, which take into account a much broader range of climatic conditions. Their Western Garden Book contains maps of the western plus a bit of Canada that detail their climate zones. Sometimes they agree with the USDA, other times not so much. For example, according to USDA, we’re in the same zone as Wilcox, Arizona. In Sunset, we’re 5 or 6 zones apart. In fact, according to Sunset, our climate is unique to the pacific coast of the continental USA, plus a tiny bit of Canada’s pacific. [ If you live in western USA (or southwestern Canada) the Sunset Garden Book can be a very useful resource. It covers states as far east as New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and part of the province of Alberta. And Alaska and Hawaii too.] We are Sunset zones 4 and 5, by the way.

So to summarize, it’s good to know your climate zones, but use them as a guide, or a starting point when planning your garden. And when in doubt about a plant’s suitability, ask your local nursery person. They will know better than anyone what works and what doesn’t in your garden. And remember to have some fun out there.

Now back to the pretty pictures…