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Most Northerly area of Florida Considered Zone 10b,10a, and 9b


Alicehunter2000

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What specific parts of Florida would be the most northerly one could reliably find Zone 9b plants, 10a plants and 10b plants. Please include any islands that are accessible by car and might have land for sale. I have often wondered how far down the Gulf Coast I would have to travel to get to areas where palms that I can't grow here might survive. Would Cedar Key be Zone 9b? How about St. George Island up in the Big Bend area? Any photo's of some of these more obscure locations?

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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On the east coast, the northern frontier for common coconut palm growth is Cape Canaveral. Minus a rare sighting, one stops seeing them north of that.

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It depends on if you mean LONG term, or mostly long term. Coconuts grow in Clearwater, but are killed in the bad freezes. St. Pete is better, but I don't know of any pre-1989 ones. Anna Maria Island is the furthest north place I know on the West coast with pre-1989 coconuts.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Way further south than SGI and slightly more than Cedar Key. I would suspect south of Tampa if you mean mostly long term and those might be too far north also.

Edited by bbrantley
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What zone is Cedar Key? Zone maps are probably pretty useless for this tiny island so far north. I wonder if P. roebelini grows long term there? Or might it be even warmer than that. I understand that there are freak cold events that extend well into Florida.....but barring a 100 year freeze. ...might some place like that support growing Royal's?

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Judging from the map St.George Island is probably the best microclimate for the Florida Panhandle. Would like to visit that area one of these days.

Tyler

Coastal Zone 9a

''Karma is a good girl, she just treats you exactly how you treat her"

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Jason, that's a great map for plant communities, but in my opinion, looking at some areas I'm familiar with, no more detailed than other maps with regard to hardiness zones and winter lows. For example, areas around St. Andrew's Bay are zone 8b and so is Leon County, where I live. Yet I've seen zone 9 plants thriving in the former location, especially immediately adjacent to the bay, that would get toasted here.

Woodville, FL

zone 8b

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Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

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You have to get south of Tampa. We have royals here in Orlando but even here they will take a beating every 25-30 yrs. Then again royals are cheap here.

With a tin cup for a chalice

Fill it up with good red wine,

And I'm-a chewin' on a honeysuckle vine.

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Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

My understanding is because it's a continental weather pattern, meaning cold air comes in from the north, traveling over the North American continent, and doesn't hit any natural barriers or bodies of water. I live here and can assure you that 8a (ie, lows between 10 and 15 F) is an accurate description of an average winter. Coastal areas are warmer, but the effect is much less than 50 miles. North Carolina probably benefits from the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream, which would moderate those cold air temps.

Woodville, FL

zone 8b

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Lucas (Redbeard)....I'm driving over your direction this afternoon. Going to meet a friend from Crawfordville in Appalachicola and trade some plants.

Yes, you are in the infamous Tallahassee cold sink that extends from the State Line almost to the coast. My buddy is always complaining about how cold Crawfordville gets.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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You have to get south of Tampa. We have royals here in Orlando but even here they will take a beating every 25-30 yrs. Then again royals are cheap here.

Yes, Royals have gotten cheap cheap cheap. But, I unfortunately I dont believe they go 25-30 years between Central FL beatings :-( Bt, the bright side is they recover quickly as long as the damage is only foliar it seems.......

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

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:yay: It sure looks like the map put Michael and I just inside the 10b! Joe Alf came by a couple weeks ago and said that he thinks we do have a real nice micro-climate. I wish 10b….David, just come be my neighbor anyway!

Shirleypt.png

There are several mature Wodyetia bifurcata in my neighborhood--that helps determine my zone, right? :blink:

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Along the east coast, 9b probably extends to St. Augustine right along the coast/barrier island. 10a to the very southern tip of Volusia County just south of New Smyrna Beach. 10b up to Jupiter and some pockets to southern Merritt Island south of Patrick AFB. Inland 9b goes to north of Orlando into the Sanford area, pockets of 10a around Orlando in the warm pockets of the metro area.

West Coast I'm not so sure of exactly but Sanibel Island is borderline zone 11.

Eric

Orlando, FL

zone 9b/10a

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Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

I actually agree with that map overall for the majority of FL. I think the zone 8 area over the Panhandle is far too generous, (this winter notwithstanding). I believe there are pockets of the NW Panhandle far from the coast that experience average annual lows of 10-14F, but most areas of the interior Panhandle are almost certainly 8B (15-19F). Any areas that are 8a in FL have much higher average temps than 8a areas further north along the Carolina coast, etc., even if yearly lows do manage to sneak below 15F, on average.

Cedar Key is not far enough south for a tropical garden, even though it is an island. It may be 9b.

If I lived somewhere other than FL, and was moving to FL for tropical palms and gardening potential, I would head to South FL, or at the very least one of the fantastic coastal zone 10 microclimates of Central FL. You can get away with a lot of zone 10 gardening in Orlando (not outer areas) for many areas, but ideally, I would look further south. Miami/Fort Lauderdale is overall the best choice from my observation, when precipitation is factored in. This area supports abundant tropical flora long term and overall adequate precipitation (more rain than the Keys). South of Fort Myers to Marco Island tends to have a favorable climate along the coast.

I'd like to see royals used more widely in the city of Orlando, as I think they would do quite well with not much damage most years. Mine had zero damage the last 3 winters. Any other drawbacks of growing royals (frond weight, water needs, soil fertility, etc.) exist anywhere they are grown.

Edited by palmsOrl
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Along the east coast, 9b probably extends to St. Augustine right along the coast/barrier island. 10a to the very southern tip of Volusia County just south of New Smyrna Beach. 10b up to Jupiter and some pockets to southern Merritt Island south of Patrick AFB. Inland 9b goes to north of Orlando into the Sanford area, pockets of 10a around Orlando in the warm pockets of the metro area.

West Coast I'm not so sure of exactly but Sanibel Island is borderline zone 11.

yes

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You have to get south of Tampa. We have royals here in Orlando but even here they will take a beating every 25-30 yrs. Then again royals are cheap here.

Yes, Royals have gotten cheap cheap cheap. But, I unfortunately I dont believe they go 25-30 years between Central FL beatings :-( Bt, the bright side is they recover quickly as long as the damage is only foliar it seems.......

"Central Florida" is a very diverse area. Thats why I specified Orlando. The climate diversity in Orlando and the surrounding areas have a huge variation in climate. Guess I'll just have to look at my royal in another 10 yrs and see if its still there. lol

With a tin cup for a chalice

Fill it up with good red wine,

And I'm-a chewin' on a honeysuckle vine.

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You have to get south of Tampa. We have royals here in Orlando but even here they will take a beating every 25-30 yrs. Then again royals are cheap here.

Yes, Royals have gotten cheap cheap cheap. But, I unfortunately I dont believe they go 25-30 years between Central FL beatings :-( Bt, the bright side is they recover quickly as long as the damage is only foliar it seems.......

"Central Florida" is a very diverse area. Thats why I specified Orlando. The climate diversity in Orlando and the surrounding areas have a huge variation in climate. Guess I'll just have to look at my royal in another 10 yrs and see if its still there. lol

I remember going plant shopping in Sorrento (near Apopka, NW of Orlando) in early Feb '09. There was no freeze in my yard in Maitland from the '08-'09 winter and barely any foliage damage on the zone 10 stuff. Out in Sorrento, the queens, Washingtonia robusta and of course P. robelennii were completely fried. Apparently there was a very hard freeze there. Granted, this area tends to be much colder, but still, I was shocked.

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SGI has frequent 9b winters. There are some large foxtails on the island that have been there a few years. This is also the farthest northern distribution of mangroves. Crawfordville is colder than Tallahassee. The airport in TLH is also colder than the city proper. There are several huge bismarks that have been growing for at least 9 years here in town. St. Vincent and SGI have the mildest winters averages in North Florida.

PS. I know your friend. I can pass along specifics if you want.

Jeff

North Florida

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Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Seeing that map calling my place 10a (7 miles SE of tampa bay near I75/I275 junction) is a laugher, it just isnt true. It also equates SW pinellas as the same 10a a mine. In 2010 winter the low was 28F at my place and 35F at the weather station in SW pinellas the same distance inland. I do believe that SW pinellas is 10a. these zone 10a lines go too far inland in palm harbor area as well, you wont find many royals or foxtails much further than 2 miles inland up there. If you drive the area you will see that the "canaries" will tell you the story. Common crownshafted palms like foxtails, royals, adonidias, bottles, spindles I use as zone 10a/b/warm 9b canaries. If you move just slighly inland, maybe 1 mile from me they all go away. the only long term unprotected survivors near me are big royals and to a lesser extent foxtails. If you go west of the #41 you find many crownshafts including kings, adonidias, and numerous street plantings of foxtails and royals. I will say that 2010 killed all spindles, bottles, adonidias and all small foxtails and small royals in my neighborhood. The bigger ones survived and have come back nicely as we have had 3 consecutive 10a winters. South of the skyway bridge zone 10 is generally thought to be west of the #41, east is 9B and it tails off very fast going inland for crownshafted palms. In my opinion, being next to the water is more important than N/S thing in expected minimums. My place 7miles SW of the skyway bridge has been very similar in recorded winter lows to coastal palm harbor just west of the #19, 60 miles to the north. The hole western half of the pinellas peninsula has been warmer according to weatherstations. Places like clearwater, largo, etc all have many more street planted(unprotected) longer term zone 10 palms than my area east of the #41 down south.

  • Upvote 1

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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Agree for the most part that anything zone 10A is a long term gamble north of the Skyway or away from the water around Tampa. Remember lots of badly damaged/ dead Coconuts, Foxtails, and Adonidias (especially) around Pinellas county in '10.

On the same token, stuff at Kopsick weathered the freeze that year pretty well. It is interesting to see what a difference living 15 miles or so south of St. Pete makes in terms of long term survivability of such palms.

Also agree that once you get north/ away from the coast around Palm Harbor, much colder.. Royals are scarce and didn't encounter any of the more tender stuff.

While the list of zone 10A palms does drop off as you move inland along 53rd st/ rte. 70 here in Bradenton, the nursery I currently work at, located just east of the Lakewood Ranch area, has several large fully exposed Royals planted between the back greenhouses and the owners house. A neighbors property just too our south has a large fruiting Screw pine close to the road as well several tall Kings beyond the entrance. Thinking there may also be some other goodies hidden on that lot as well.

Got turned around on Long Boat Key one day and was drooling over stuff I saw as I headed south. Convinced I saw a Baobab planted in St. Aramands. Ringling Causeway Coconuts are awesome.

-Nathan-



Edited by Silas_Sancona
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Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

My understanding is because it's a continental weather pattern, meaning cold air comes in from the north, traveling over the North American continent, and doesn't hit any natural barriers or bodies of water. I live here and can assure you that 8a (ie, lows between 10 and 15 F) is an accurate description of an average winter. Coastal areas are warmer, but the effect is much less than 50 miles. North Carolina probably benefits from the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream, which would moderate those cold air temps.

Interesting, that makes more sense. I thought, for example, how is it SC's zone 8B stops at nearly 60 miles inland and Floridas panhandle's 8B (or warmer areas) can be in effect much less than 50 miles? But yeah, good point- the gulf stream.

Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

I actually agree with that map overall for the majority of FL. I think the zone 8 area over the Panhandle is far too generous, (this winter notwithstanding). I believe there are pockets of the NW Panhandle far from the coast that experience average annual lows of 10-14F, but most areas of the interior Panhandle are almost certainly 8B (15-19F). Any areas that are 8a in FL have much higher average temps than 8a areas further north along the Carolina coast, etc., even if yearly lows do manage to sneak below 15F, on average.

It's still astounding to me that with the relative proximity to a large body of water, the latitude and low elevation, that this area still isn't considered more than an 8A... I could see once every 20 years or so the temps dipping into the low teens but I would not expect it enough to warrant an 8A designation. But that's crazy that it happens more often than I thought it would. Learn something new everyday, I guess! Interesting stuff.

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When cold fronts sweep in from the N or NW, the water to the south doesn't help at all, except maybe on some of the islands. The cold air can get right to the coast without being modified. Record low in Monticello, FL is -2*F, and many areas of the panhandle get into the low teens most winters.

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Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

My understanding is because it's a continental weather pattern, meaning cold air comes in from the north, traveling over the North American continent, and doesn't hit any natural barriers or bodies of water. I live here and can assure you that 8a (ie, lows between 10 and 15 F) is an accurate description of an average winter. Coastal areas are warmer, but the effect is much less than 50 miles. North Carolina probably benefits from the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream, which would moderate those cold air temps.

Interesting, that makes more sense. I thought, for example, how is it SC's zone 8B stops at nearly 60 miles inland and Floridas panhandle's 8B (or warmer areas) can be in effect much less than 50 miles? But yeah, good point- the gulf stream.

Most detailed and accurate Florida zone map that I have found: http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

Don't mean to thread hijack, but how the heck is there an 8A in Florida, even if it's north Florida? At 30 degrees north and within 50 miles of the coast, that's hard to believe. Why would some areas in NC be considered 8A and this area in the panhandle I'm referring to, not be anything more than 8A?

I actually agree with that map overall for the majority of FL. I think the zone 8 area over the Panhandle is far too generous, (this winter notwithstanding). I believe there are pockets of the NW Panhandle far from the coast that experience average annual lows of 10-14F, but most areas of the interior Panhandle are almost certainly 8B (15-19F). Any areas that are 8a in FL have much higher average temps than 8a areas further north along the Carolina coast, etc., even if yearly lows do manage to sneak below 15F, on average.

It's still astounding to me that with the relative proximity to a large body of water, the latitude and low elevation, that this area still isn't considered more than an 8A... I could see once every 20 years or so the temps dipping into the low teens but I would not expect it enough to warrant an 8A designation. But that's crazy that it happens more often than I thought it would. Learn something new everyday, I guess! Interesting stuff.

The area around Tallahassee is a cold sink, there is some terrain in the area that funnels cold air. The Suwannee river vally to the northwest of Gainesville FL does the same thing, it was 10-12F out there in 2010 while only 16F and warmer a few miles to the east. It is often a couple degrees colder in these parts of Florida than areas immediately to the north in south GA/AL due to the cold air drainage

South Carolina is interesting since it is simultaneously north, east, and south enough to remain warmer than areas immediately south and west or to the immediate north. The 6000'+ plus peaks just over the border in NC block some of the cold air coming from the northwest. A "wedge" effect often then occurs where the cold air funnels down behind the mountains into the lower elevation areas to the southwest while warmer air rises up along the eastern front into the north, i.e. right over middle and upstate SC. Latitude eventually wins up into NC and VA cooling the warm air as it moves north of SC.

Edited by stevethegator
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What zone is Cedar Key? Zone maps are probably pretty useless for this tiny island so far north. I wonder if P. roebelini grows long term there? Or might it be even warmer than that. I understand that there are freak cold events that extend well into Florida.....but barring a 100 year freeze. ...might some place like that support growing Royal's?

Not sure about absolute lows but I drove to Cedar Key from Gainesville on one of those sunny, low humidity, cloudless late fall days a couple years ago to go kayaking in the Gulf. The wind coming off the water was wicked and as soon as the sun went down it got cold fast. The water is so shallow in that area I don't think it retains very much heat, it was barely any warmer than a mountain creek IMO. Definitely did not see any royals there, or really very many queens.

Nearby Seahorse Key is likely a warm microclimate, as it's a barrier island and has some high ground with a 50' sand bluff on the Gulf side straight down to the water. It's an uninhibited wildlife refuge save for a historic lighthouse and the UF marine science lab so no land purchases unfortunately

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When cold fronts sweep in from the N or NW, the water to the south doesn't help at all, except maybe on some of the islands. The cold air can get right to the coast without being modified. Record low in Monticello, FL is -2*F, and many areas of the panhandle get into the low teens most winters.

I think this is an accurate interpretation of the benefit of water. In order to get a benefit against the coldest northwest winds, there needs to be water to warm air coming from the northwest. The winter air coming off land is going to be a lot colder. So perhaps the latiutude is important till you get to tampa, then its proximity of water. I watch the temps and the wind direction because if the wind is coming from the NW, it will moderate the cold by the time it reaches my area near the skyway. But if the wind is coming from due north, I know its trouble, we could see the same temps as orlando. In dec 2010 it was a northwest wind and the west coast of florida had little difference in temp with latitude on the coast below south pinellas. But just 10-15 miles inland temps dropped 10-12 deg vs anna maria. Anna maria island, just south of tampa bay recorded warmer lows (41F) than cape coral or parts of miami. If the wind is coming from the northeast it will be colder on the west coast. Anna Maria is probably a zone 10b most years, with quite a few large, old, unprotected plumeria and some cocos. So I would think where does the cold wind come from and how much water must it cross to get to your site. In the panhandle area it will generally not cross water if its a cold event, so it will be cold. Once you get down on the peninsula aways, the systems will have to cross some water. Of course miami is going to be consistently warmer than the west coast cities as its further south near the tip of the peninsula. Miami also gets more consistent rainfall, so its going to be great for growers. That said, I like my area, dry spring, few misquitos, and some nice public plantings of crownshafted palms in bradenton towards the coast. Further south on the west coast also looks interesting as land is cheap there.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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I found this reworked USDA zone map for florida, re drawn as of 2012

http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-florida-2012-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php

this map shows the value of proximity of water vs lattitude. It also shows that ,unlike the map above, 10b is restricted to the southern tip and my place is about 4 miles inside the 9B/10A line on the 9B side. This one uses recent data including both 2009 and 2010 winters which were cold. Note how the whole of pinellas peninsula is rated 10a as it is surrounded by water. The widespread older dypsis lutecens, foxtails, and royals on that peninsula give a clue. I have seen lutecens to 20-25' tall there in some places.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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I find these types of threads so interesting, with all of the personal observations and data. I would say many barrier island locations south of Clearwater and Cape Canaveral could qualify as 10b, but for inland locations, it is restricted to South Florida.

A couple points come to mind:

-A true 10a location could easily see 28F during a severe winter.

-Orlando is the best example of the urban heat island effect in the state of Florida.

-I would totally try a Cuban royal if I lived on Cedar Key!

-Anna Maria Island is likely hands down the best microclimate in Central FL. Miami got a lot colder in 2010 than 41F. Even the Keys were almost that cold.

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I would agree with you about Anna Maria Island. Whether the winds are from the N, NW or NE, they pass over a good expanse of water to get to the island. As far as absolute low temps go, it rivals many parts of FL much further south. Of course the averages are lower in winter than Miami due to the latitude. I would think that Sanibel, Captiva and the northern end of Pine Island would also be great microclimates because Charlotte Harbor is deep and therefore a good heat reservoir, and surrounds PI on the NW, N, and NE. I don't have any data from there, but I would think it's lows are significantly less extreme than, say, Ft Myers or Cape Coral.

Edited by displaced_floridian
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SGI has frequent 9b winters. There are some large foxtails on the island that have been there a few years. This is also the farthest northern distribution of mangroves. Crawfordville is colder than Tallahassee. The airport in TLH is also colder than the city proper. There are several huge bismarks that have been growing for at least 9 years here in town. St. Vincent and SGI have the mildest winters averages in North Florida.

PS. I know your friend. I can pass along specifics if you want.

I agree but I went there yesterday and can tell you that the queens near Carabelle beach are mostly toasted like 20% survived. There is a buyer over there looking for quite a few washys and queens to replace some so I assume they were toasted this past winter also.

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Carrabelle is not on a barrier island and is only slightly better than Crawfordville, which is the town adjacent.

Jeff

North Florida

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I found this reworked USDA zone map for florida, re drawn as of 2012

http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-florida-2012-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php

this map shows the value of proximity of water vs lattitude. It also shows that ,unlike the map above, 10b is restricted to the southern tip and my place is about 4 miles inside the 9B/10A line on the 9B side. This one uses recent data including both 2009 and 2010 winters which were cold. Note how the whole of pinellas peninsula is rated 10a as it is surrounded by water. The widespread older dypsis lutecens, foxtails, and royals on that peninsula give a clue. I have seen lutecens to 20-25' tall there in some places.

It shows me 4 miles from the 9b line that barely puts me in 10a, which is about right. But it shows Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach in 9B which really they are a solid 10A more so than me. This winter my garden got to about 32 they got to 38 at the coldest. But overall the map looks good. Just doesn't include any barrier island microclimates.

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It's weird how all of these maps show northern Sarasota as 9b even out to the coast. I wonder what causes this cold spot.

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Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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It's weird how all of these maps show northern Sarasota as 9b even out to the coast. I wonder what causes this cold spot.

I think its the fact that there is a good stretch of land due north. this means that air will travel over 25+ miles of land when coming from the north. When wind is coming from the NW coastal sarasota should be as warm as coastal pinellas. But in 2010 the wind direction was NW, then shifted to due north and a slowed wind velocity(<2mph) over all that land dropped sarasota to a record low of 27F. The palmetto coach house weather station 1.9 miles due west of me was 28F, my property was probably a degree colder. that one cold event probably dropped the sarasota area to a warm 9B even near the coast. In another 10 years it probably reverts to 10a near the coast if we dont get another near record for sarasota. I do note that sarasota west of #41 is generally about 2-3 degrees F warmer than my place While anna maria is about 4-5 deg F warmer typically. But when the wind come from due north, there is a lot of land between sarasota and tampa bay.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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It's weird how all of these maps show northern Sarasota as 9b even out to the coast. I wonder what causes this cold spot.

I think its the fact that there is a good stretch of land due north. this means that air will travel over 25+ miles of land when coming from the north. When wind is coming from the NW coastal sarasota should be as warm as coastal pinellas. But in 2010 the wind direction was NW, then shifted to due north and a slowed wind velocity(<2mph) over all that land dropped sarasota to a record low of 27F. The palmetto coach house weather station 1.9 miles due west of me was 28F, my property was probably a degree colder. that one cold event probably dropped the sarasota area to a warm 9B even near the coast. In another 10 years it probably reverts to 10a near the coast if we dont get another near record for sarasota. I do note that sarasota west of #41 is generally about 2-3 degrees F warmer than my place While anna maria is about 4-5 deg F warmer typically. But when the wind come from due north, there is a lot of land between sarasota and tampa bay.

That makes sense. One of the areas that my parents are looking into buying a house is west of 41 in north Sarasota. Coconuts there seemed to have a 50% fatality rate in 2010, but it seems like the tall types survived relatively well.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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if your using the P. robellini as the criteria they are growing up and down Philips Hwy in Jax --- they were down town as big trees to 1983

Not to be truculent as I hadnt really thought of the place as 9B or 10a or whatever but there here and have been for a decade.

Best regards

Ed

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My map is the best map of Florida. I did this back in 2009:

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  • Upvote 2

Brevard County, Fl

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What specific parts of Florida would be the most northerly one could reliably find Zone 9b plants, 10a plants and 10b plants. Please include any islands that are accessible by car and might have land for sale. I have often wondered how far down the Gulf Coast I would have to travel to get to areas where palms that I can't grow here might survive. Would Cedar Key be Zone 9b? How about St. George Island up in the Big Bend area? Any photo's of some of these more obscure locations?

Let me see if I can answer your question.

On the East coast, I have found 9B plants all the way up to Savanna Georgia, but long term probably Jacksonville beach in an area that is warm enough. Otherwise Daytona Beach.

As for 10A, I have seen it as far north as Daytona Beach, but long term Cape Canaveral. Obviously also around the St-Petersberg/Clearwater area

10B as far as Daytona Beach, but long term probably Jupiter, possibly in warmer pockets of South Hutchinson Island or Patrick Air Force Base.

West Coast St. Petersberg, but probably Cayo Costa Key long term.

Cedar Key is zone 9A by my definition. It might be warm enough to grow queen palms long term there, probably not though.

Edited by Jimbean

Brevard County, Fl

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