It’s not easy to know which bushes, flowers and edibles are adapted to the climate in your area. Looking around to see what grows naturally, and taking note of the wildflowers that thrive in wild paces nearby is always a good place to begin. Many will have improved cultivated varieties in extra colors or with double flowers or with neater growth. But far more other plants, varieties that are not local wildflowers, will also do well in your yard - and these are the plants that are more difficult to choose. So, which will survive the winter, and which will not?
This is where the United States Department of Agriculture can help. Its experts have divided the country into 13 hardiness zones according to the average lowest winter temperatures. They used data from thousands of local weather stations across the country to make sure that it’s accurate. Zone 1 is the very coldest zone and zone 13 covers the areas with the warmest winter temperatures. Most zones are again split into two, zone 3a and zone 3b, for example, where greater accuracy is needed.
