We had a wondrous, cooling storm of rain last evening. And it was unexpected, which made it all the better, even a little thunder and wind. Whew! It’s been HOT! Our resolve to avoid the AC has withered away with the wilting heat. When the temperature inside crawls past 85 degrees my brain begins to boil and I cannot concentrate on anything but sprawling in front of the fan!
I was doing some googling on Garden Hardiness Zones recently and was intrigued to find that the Zones have changed due to the trend in global warming. The Hardiness Zone in which I reside has changed from Zone 5 to Zone 6, and a similarly upward trend has occurred all across the country. Based on my limited reading, the Zone 5 designation was most recently based on the 1990 USDA Hardiness Zone Map, and a 2006 Arbor Day Map delineated the changes, including to Zone 6 in my area. To view the changes, see Hardiness Zone Changes.
What does this mean for gardeners? We had record-breaking snowfall here in Ohio this past winter, and now we have record-breaking heat! As for me, I’m busily beautifying my yard with native species like Queen of the Prairie, Spiked Blazing Star, Echinacea, Cardinal Flower, Common Milkweed and Butterfly Weed. I even transplanted some Queen Anne’s Lace from the woods the other day. I can’t say enough for the ease of care of native species. These perennial plants tolerate extremes of hot and cold as well as moist and dry. They require no watering (that’s right - NO watering) except when you’re first establishing the little seedlings, and the only care they require is occasional thinning back unless you really DO want them to take over your yard, which I am contemplating. Why not replace the bare and gas guzzling lawn with cooling thickets of gorgeous prairie flowers that fend for themselves and provide habitat for the pollenating bees and other critters? It’s a thought I’m thinking!!!
I was doing some googling on Garden Hardiness Zones recently and was intrigued to find that the Zones have changed due to the trend in global warming. The Hardiness Zone in which I reside has changed from Zone 5 to Zone 6, and a similarly upward trend has occurred all across the country. Based on my limited reading, the Zone 5 designation was most recently based on the 1990 USDA Hardiness Zone Map, and a 2006 Arbor Day Map delineated the changes, including to Zone 6 in my area. To view the changes, see Hardiness Zone Changes.
What does this mean for gardeners? We had record-breaking snowfall here in Ohio this past winter, and now we have record-breaking heat! As for me, I’m busily beautifying my yard with native species like Queen of the Prairie, Spiked Blazing Star, Echinacea, Cardinal Flower, Common Milkweed and Butterfly Weed. I even transplanted some Queen Anne’s Lace from the woods the other day. I can’t say enough for the ease of care of native species. These perennial plants tolerate extremes of hot and cold as well as moist and dry. They require no watering (that’s right - NO watering) except when you’re first establishing the little seedlings, and the only care they require is occasional thinning back unless you really DO want them to take over your yard, which I am contemplating. Why not replace the bare and gas guzzling lawn with cooling thickets of gorgeous prairie flowers that fend for themselves and provide habitat for the pollenating bees and other critters? It’s a thought I’m thinking!!!
What a great and colorful idea. "Gas guzzling" lawns. Hee! that's right on and funny. Indigenous bloomers would lend for a wildness of variety. Ummmmm. Somethng to ponder.
ReplyDeleteClever girl, You. Love, Mom