Planting zones marching north

[Dave-Vero]

City Lab from The Atlantic. I'd keep a caveat for Florida, since we're at the mercy of rare, extreme outbursts of cold air. We were lucky this winter, with almost all of the cold weather staying farther north.

[Silas_Sancona]

Interesting.. thanks for sharing.

Saw another article relating to Canada recently redrawing their planting zones, with an observed northward shift, including a couple spots just north of Seattle at the coast now being designated as zone 9, a first for Canada.

Also saw something relating to how it is possible that minimum lows in parts of CA, particularly the Southern half, may warm enough to support Coconuts in the not to distant future. Wouldn't be surprised if a couple sweet spots somewhere around coastal San Diego already exist.

For the skeptics, just don't buy the " it's too cold there" train of thought. If I had land at the coast there, id drop about a dozen cocos in the ground right now, just to challenge both sides of the hypothesis with my own eyes and observations.

Here in Florida, I wonder if shifting zones brings the possibility of, dare I say, a sliver of marginal 12a appearing on the mainland, not just in say Key West, or south of there.

With all the amazing things that already can be grown just to my south/ southeast, wonder what else would become commonly seen in a warmer world.

-Nathan

[Jimbean]

Wishful thinking!

[Ed in Houston]

City Lab from The Atlantic. I'd keep a caveat for Florida, since we're at the mercy of rare, extreme outbursts of cold air. We were lucky this winter, with almost all of the cold weather staying farther north.

Just yesterday I was lamenting that there was not a furure zone map as per the climate change "consensus" given by the climate models of the future predicting warming and made a post titled Zone Confusion.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/45404-zone-confusion/

I realized today that a future zone map has already been provided in your post with the City Lab link given in your post above.

The fourth map down in the City Lab link gives a zone map for the US for the years 2011-2040 based on the warming trend that took place in the years 1971-2010. Given that time moves forward instead of backwards would it not be prudent to consider the future zone map instead of just the past zone maps? Of course this would require a leap of faith. The future map given was constructed by NOAA with all their attending credibilty, you decide.

One of the interesting charactistics of the future zone map is the larger changes are in the center of the country compared to the coasts. Florida does not seem to be changing much, maybe due to the peninsula effect which dampens change.

Coastal Texas in the future zone map moves from zone 9 to zone 10 up to Galveston Bay/Houston. Recently I purchased several 9b-10a palms for planting in Houston in a couple of years when they are bigger. I just hope that palms don't scream too loudly when they freeze to death.

Ed in Houston