Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Zone 8 in Idaho


pin38

Recommended Posts

I was doing some looking on the Interactive USDA zone map and saw several blips of zone 8A in Idaho in the mid latitudes of the state near the Oregon border. They're mostly along US-95 and the Snake River, halfway between Boise and Spokane.  Two of these blips have towns in them, Riggins and Lucile. Neither town has more than a few hundred people, so I doubt there's too much palm experimenting going on. Just thought this was interesting.

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that color (lime green) is actually 7b, still very impressive and might be mild enough to grow Trachycarpus fortunei close to house. Summers would be hot and dry. Good place for some cacti and hardy agaves.  

Edited by Palm crazy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Palm crazy said:

I think that color (lime green) is actually 7b, still very impressive and might be mild enough to grow Trachycarpus fortunei close to house. Summers would be hot and dry. Good place for some cacti and hardy agaves.  

Most of it is 7b, but there are a few squares of 8a right on or near those two towns, as well as on the Snake River. And with only 16 inches of rain and hot summers, I was also thinking filifera might deserve a shot there.

Idaho Zones.jpg

Edited by pin38
  • Upvote 2

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pin38 thanks for pointing that out to me, I must of been looking at a different part.  I am so amazed you found 8a in Idaho, thanks to your eagle eye. 16" yearly rain is much more than some of our desert in WA. That really open up a lot of cool drought tolerant plants. I wonder how long the duration of cold last there and how much it warms up during the day, thats what really counts when growing some palms. 

Edited by Palm crazy
  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the climate data chart for Riggins, Idaho (in the lower part of my map screenshot above). Kinda like a drier Washington D.C. The town is at 1800 ft elevation.

Idaho Riggins.jpg

Edited by pin38

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, pin38 said:

Here's the climate data chart for Riggins, Idaho (in the lower part of my map screenshot above). Kinda like a drier Washington D.C. The town is at 1800 ft elevation.

Idaho Riggins.jpg

Here is the Olympia airport Climate data..... the airport is much colder than the city of Olympia, 8a. But rain fall & daily highs are the same. Notice how much more humid it is here, And how much cooler summer temps are here, LOL! 

OlympiaClimate.PNG

Edited by Palm crazy
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha being a full state inland definitely lowers the moderating effect! And Riggins is barely 8a, where Olympia as I understand is a very solid 8a with pockets of 8b by the Sound. My wife and I actually considered moving there a couple months ago, and I looked into the climate a little. 

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, pin38 said:

Ha being a full state inland definitely lowers the moderating effect! And Riggins is barely 8a, where Olympia as I understand is a very solid 8a with pockets of 8b by the Sound. My wife and I actually considered moving there a couple months ago, and I looked into the climate a little. 

Yeah we are a solid z8, but a few years ago before the new weather map update we were 7b, at least at the airport anyways.  Olympia is pretty wet in Fall/Winter rains almost everyday and it mostly cloudy. But we do get about one week on sun per month in winter. If you go more north it not only warmer but much drier….solid 8b and 8b/9a. 

Olympia is cool small city with lots of artist and very bohemian and open minded. Great place to raise a family.  From April to October there is so many thing to do downtown and around the sound. 2 hours away is great skiing in the mountain. 

Yes closer to water is warmer in winter, but cooler in summer,  and away from city much colder in winter; warmer in summer.  I remember one bad winter we had 14F in town and 5 miles away at airport it was -2F. But like I said its even warmer in Tacoma or Seattle. But Olympia is warmer in summer than either of them by a few degrees. 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Hammer said:

Cool thread.  I wonder how many other hidden little climate jewels are out there.

Here are some growing zone for Washington State Cities lots of zone 8 and 9…. noticed the colder spots are in dry Eastern WA, milder in wet Western WA. 

http://www.plantmaps.com/list-of-hardiness-zones-for-washington-cities.php

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Palm crazy said:

Yeah we are a solid z8, but a few years ago before the new weather map update we were 7b, at least at the airport anyways.  Olympia is pretty wet in Fall/Winter rains almost everyday and it mostly cloudy. But we do get about one week on sun per month in winter. If you go more north it not only warmer but much drier….solid 8b and 8b/9a. 

Olympia is cool small city with lots of artist and very bohemian and open minded. Great place to raise a family.  From April to October there is so many thing to do downtown and around the sound. 2 hours away is great skiing in the mountain. 

Yes closer to water is warmer in winter, but cooler in summer,  and away from city much colder in winter; warmer in summer.  I remember one bad winter we had 14F in town and 5 miles away at airport it was -2F. But like I said its even warmer in Tacoma or Seattle. But Olympia is warmer in summer than either of them by a few degrees. 

Seems like a great place to live, and it's definitely still on our radar for some time in the future. Jobs and family are leading us to Kansas City for now, but probably not forever.

  • Upvote 1

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, pin38 said:

Seems like a great place to live, and it's definitely still on our radar for some time in the future. Jobs and family are leading us to Kansas City for now, but probably not forever.

Welcome to the Chiefs Kingdom! 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/30/2017, 11:02:12, Hammer said:

Welcome to the Chiefs Kingdom! 

Ha I actually grew up just outside the Home of the Chiefs in Lawrence KS, so I'm already a fan!

  • Upvote 1

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, pin38 said:

Ha I actually grew up just outside the Home of the Chiefs in Lawrence KS, so I'm already a fan!

What in the name of everything sweet and holy has happened these last 7 games? !! Unreal meltdown.  :badday:

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/29/2017, 9:16:09, Hammer said:
On 11/29/2017, 9:16:09, Hammer said:

Cool thread.  I wonder how many other hidden little climate jewels are out there.

Cool thread.  I wonder how many other hidden little climate jewels are out there.

Zone 11, El Screamo (El Sereno) Los Angeles, for starters. Bet you've got a few gems where you are, too.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like there is only a few miles separating 8a from 6b. Is that little town in a valley or something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/4/2017, 6:58:49, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

Looks like there is only a few miles separating 8a from 6b. Is that little town in a valley or something?

Yes, the towns are right on the Salmon River which runs through a valley surrounded by steep mountains on either side.

  • Upvote 1

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...