Perhaps, apart from wire grass and other common weeds, most plants require certain climatic conditions to be able to survive and do their best.
Here, in America we have a system that helps gardeners find plants suitable for their local climatic conditions. It is called Hardiness Zone Map. It divides North American territory into areas with common, average minimum temperatures.
Accordingly, plants available in nurseries and described in gardening books, are also labeled with their growing requirements as suitable for a particular zone.
It is not a perfect system due to lack of indication of average maximum temperatures a plant will tolerate. But, all the same, it is a helpful guide, easy to obtain, and use as reference to identify particular area or plant growing prospects.
To identify your local hardiness zone, find your area's average minimum temperature, and see in which below category (zone) does apply.
ZONE _1 – avg. min. temp. (below -46°C) or (-50°F)
ZONE _2 – avg. min. temp. (between -46° to -40°C) or (-50° to - 40°F)
ZONE _3 – avg. min. temp. (between -40° to -34C) or (-40° to - 30°F)
ZONE _4 – avg. min. temp. (between -34° to -29°C) or (-30° to - 20°F)
ZONE _5 – avg. min. temp. (between -29° to -23°C) or (-20° to - 10°F)
ZONE _6 – avg. min. temp. (between -23° to -18°C) or (-10° to 0°F)
ZONE _7 – avg. min. temp. (between -18° to -12°C) or (0° to 10°F)
ZONE _8 – avg. min. temp. (between -12° to -7°C) or (10° to 20°F)
ZONE _9 – avg. min. temp. (between -7° to -1°C) or (20° to 30°F)
ZONE 10 – avg. min. temp. (between -1° to 4°C) or (30° to 40°F)
ZONE 11 – avg. min. temp. (above 4°C) or (above 40°F)
These zone classifications, where relevant, will feature in Town & Country Gardens postings.
Please, look at our References section, below. It features graphical illustration of hardiness zones in America and around the world.
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References
Look at the graphical illustration of hardiness zones in America and other parts of the world: Africa, Australia, China, Europe, Japan, New Zeland, South Africa, South America, USA & North America
Special Thanks
Special Thanks to Town & Country Gardens Contributors:
Aboc-sha, Co., Australian Government, Dept. of the Environment,Water, Heritage and the Arts, blogger, bulabean, dive-angel (Karin), flickr, backyardgardener, jelitto, pacificbulbsociety, richters, iVillage & gardenweb, Jasmine&Roses, liddlewonder, NIWA Shane Kelley/Kelley Graphics, The United States National Arboretum/USDA, Rita Crane Photography. Rita Crane, daughter of LIFE magazine photographer Ralph Crane. Her work can be seen on Flickr at Rita Crane Photography or on her website., TMR Davies, USDA, W. D. Williams, Wikipedia
