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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 .

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 . )

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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