11/28/2023
🧐You may have heard the buzz about the US Department of Agriculture recently issuing updated hardiness zone maps--but what does it actually mean? 🤔
Hardiness zones are guidelines around the types of plants that can grow in an area based on the average of the lowest temperatures reached.
In 2012, most of Ohio was considered zone 6a, with small pockets of colder zone 5b. This means that the average lowest temperatures ranged from -5˚ to -15˚ 🥶
Over the last 11 years, about half of Ohio has become zone 6b and there are no longer pockets of zone 5b. This means our average lowest temperatures now range from -5˚ to 5˚ 😨
You may want to pay extra attention to your garden and landscaping in the coming years to determine what still thrives, what may need to be phased out, and what new plants you can introduce 🌱