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yr in and year out , nurseryman across the country refer the U.S. Department of Agriculture ’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map to determine which plants are most likely to thrive in their localisation .

And , thanks to a new map released by the USDA in mid - November — the first update to the map since 2012 — many nurseryman will be plant some new varieties ofopen - pollinated flowers , fruits , and vegetablesfor the very first sentence this spring . According to Chris Daly , director of the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University ( which jointly developed the map with the USDA ) , the 2023 single-valued function is about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 2012 map across the contiguous United States .

A colorful map of the United States depicting the plant hardiness zones. Text at the top reads

The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zones Map

The USDA mark that the 2023 mapping is based on 30 - yr norm of the lowest annual winter temperature at specific locations , divide into thirteen 10 - point Fahrenheit zones , and further separate into five - degree Fahrenheit one-half - zone ( designated as “ a ” and “ b. ” ) The 2023 map incorporates GIS data foregather from 1991 - 2020 from 13,412 atmospheric condition place , compared to the 7,983 that were used for the 2012 map .

embed hardiness zone designations symbolise the “ mean annual extreme minimum temperature ” at a pass location during a 30 - twelvemonth time stop . As gardeners well bang , low temperature is a important divisor in the survival of plants at specific location .

In the newly released mapping , approximately half of the res publica has shifted to the next warmer half zone , while the other half of the country continue in the same half zone . According to the USDA , that shift to the next warm half zone have in mind those areas warmed in the range of 0 - 5 degrees Fahrenheit . ( Some locations experienced thaw in the range of 0 - 5 degrees Fahrenheit without moving to another half zone . )

A colorful map of the United States depicting the plant hardiness zones. Text at the top reads “2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map”

The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zones Map

Note : constitute hardiness zona are based on 30 - twelvemonth average of weather extreme ( coldest temperatures ) . Climate changes are based on overall annual mean temperatures over 50 - 100 years . Temperature update to engraft hardiness zones are not necessarily reflective of global mood change because of the highly varying nature of the extreme minimum temperature of the twelvemonth , as well as the use of progressively advanced chromosome mapping methods and the inclusion of information from more conditions stations .

gardener and others can find the new function onlinehere .

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