Same here. USDA has me in Zone 5b; the U.S. National Arboretum has me in Zone 6a. If you go by the average winter temperature chart, I'm in 6a but my neighbor 3 houses north says we're 5b. Hopefully someone will weigh in who's got some method to make a definite determination which is the right one.

Where are you? Im thinking we are neighbors, im in ne ohio.

Yes, well we are still supposed to be zone 7, however it has been a zone 8 in Atlanta since I've been here. Heat islands and micro-climates make a huge difference once you learn if your yard or area is subject to them.

ohioveggies - if we're neighbors, the boundary fence is wider than the Great Wall of China--I'm in north central CT. (;-p)

Zone 6 curves north either side of the Connecticut River which runs through the middle of the state. It stretches right up to the Massachusetts state line and I'm just east of the river 2 miles south of the state line. So depending on micro climates I could probably have parts of my yard that are 5b and others that are 6a. Oh well, why be normal?

Ok then, we are ws neighbors!!
I guess I will go with 5b, but I really think im in 6.

Hi Ohioveggies, my town here in metro-west Boston is near the borderline of zones 5/6. If I lived in the center of town, where buildings are closer together and there is a slight heat island effect, my yard could be zone 6. I live where the houses are a bit farther apart, and have some open farmland nearby so my yard and particularly the front gardens are subjected to bitter winter winds. I have lost zone 6 plants in that garden and so I went with 5b.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the map on the National Arboretum webpage. You need to keep on mind that even though the 1990 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map used several times more weather reporting stations than ever before and was enlarged to 4 foot by 4 foot, that still is a very gross scale. That means that 1) if you are near the edge of a zone, you could just as easily be on either side of the zone border because the borders aren't very refined and 2) the scale of the map means that heat and cold islands where the zone changes from the surrounding zone because of elevation change, prevailing winds, a lot of black top and concrete and other factors just can't show up.

USDA is working on a new Hardiness Zone Map (I'm on the team putting it together). This will be a very sophisticated GPS-GIS style map and the scale that will show heat and cold island will be remarkable.

There is an Arbor Day Foundation hardiness zone map, but other than the years of the weather data, they've never said much about their methodology.

Your knowledge of your yard is the best guide for how close you follow with the USDA or Arbor Day map's zone for your area. For example, by the 1990 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, I'm in zone 7A. But my yard is surrounded by Rock Creek Park, the largest urban green space in the country. The lack of concrete and blacktop surrounding my yard really makes my garden more 6B.

Because the town I live in is only about 15 or so miles from the Lake Erie shore, we are considered zone 6a, but go a few miles south and they are zone 5b. Pretty much all along the lake shore is considered zone 6a, and though I haven't lived here very long (five years) I can guess that some winters we could be zone 5. So, when I decide on plants, I stick to those that are at least zone 5 cold hardy, though sometimes I will take my chances on those less so, just to see if they'll make it. Gardening is all trial and error anyhow, what may work for my neighbor might not work for me.

Karen

I'm also zone 6, but not far from 5, in SW Ohio. In winter I swear we should be zone 1, in summer zone 10. Go figure.

Karen

Plantmaps.com is interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check your zone via zip code here

I have posted links to Zone Maps. They include heat zone maps, freeze/frost maps and Canadian and Australian maps. There is also a link to 30 year average temperatures.

Some of us in the west can walk through three zones in a pleasant afternoon. For these people I recommend Sunset Western Garden Book.

arbor day and plantmaps has me at 6, usda i cant zoom in on enough to read it clearly. i did find another one for usda that shows 6 also. hmm.

Plantmaps has me listed as 6a..but everywhere else has me 6b. I actually can't remember our temperature going below 0 in the last 15 years or so. The best answer, I think, is to go by your own experience and take a stab at it. Since there's no actual standardized map..you can't be wrong.

My back yard is 8a and my front walk is 8b. Different low temperatures, different frost dates. The city area shows up as a warmer "bubble" on the border of 8a/b-- it's fascinating how many factors go into your own house's "zones".

LOL, those maps that are posted are a fine example of why I have 6-7 on my zone area. Both have me listed in different zones.

All I know is that it does not snow here anything like it did when I was younger. I remember going out and I could barely walk I remember watching the little house on the prairie and seeing the father wearing the snow shoes and thinking oh those would be nice. Now days we get a dusting and if it is anything more than a dusting it is gone by that afternoon. Unless we get ice, which in most cases is pretty rare but the huge ice storm we had 2 years ago is still fresh in our minds.

I say this I border the zones and I plant as if I am in either. I don't worry about the small details of such. And guess what it works!!

Karen/Tepelus... I too am N. Oh & I just realized over the weekend that I should probably be 6a vs. 5b because I am so close to Lake Erie! Mind sharing whereabouts you are? I am thrilled as that means some of my tender perennials may not be AS TENDER as I thought. (depending on the winter we have-LOL) My zone war containers are counting toward zone 5 when perhaps they really should be zone 6 but I honestly didn't know!! LOL ANOTHER one of my newbie mistakes! hahahaha Many more to come as I begin my gardening journey. :P

Well Jodie, that is not a problem zone 6 will take ya with OPEN ARMS!! LOL

Jodie74, I live in Fremont, if that helps any.

Karen

I'm in Mentor. I've heard of Freemont as my husband works for First Energy & they have a new plant being built near Freemont. So we are kinda neighbors. ;)

Do you think I ought to correct things on the zone wars or just leave it til next year? I just want to do the RIGHT thing but I don't want to cause grief for manda either. :P

Jodie

I cant remember either when we have ever been to 0 without wind chill being factored in.. And if it did include windchill that was maybe a night.
And the reason I started wondering was because of posting in zone wars lol.

Hard to believe! Just checked the Zone maps, and according to my zip code, I'm in 6. According to the map on the same site, I'm in 5. I'm just north of Toledo, in Michigan. I think I'll stay with 5 for the Zone Wars. Sorry, 6! Shirley

Jodie, seriously I don't think it matters either way. Zone wars is just a fun thing. It isn't meant to be complicated.

I mean for me it is kinda intriguing to see how many containers everyone grows. It gives me extra incentive to get off my tail and get busy.

I do not think anyone would be offended either way. Manda is a gem and I am sure whatever you decided she would be happy to oblige either way.

Though for fun sake I will harass you!!! LOL

LOL, oh good now I can harass shirley also!! LOL just teasing!!

Go ahead and harass, Carolyn, my day has been a blur, so I probably won't even notice! I hate phones.
Nice to see that mnwsgal is getting some help with Zone 4.
I live in a small duplex, and the gal on the other side just CALLED me. AGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

My boyfriend might have worked with your husband, Jodie, because half the year last year he worked at First Energy, from about the end of January until August when he got laid off.

As countrycarolyn said about the zone 5 or 6 dealy, I wouldn't be worried about it. Just stick with 5 for the zone wars this year, but next year, you can be on Team 6. lol!

Karen

For the longest time, I thought I was 4b, now I am 5a. Still can't believe it. But every web tool tells me I am five.

My husband never actually worked at Freemont Plant. I know they put the building plans on hold for a while. Because they are merging with Allegany I think is the reason. Once the merger is done I thought the building of Freemont was going to resume. Was your boyfriend working AT Freemont? We have been at a plant in Pa then moved here to Ohio where he worked at Eastlake Plant (which is shutting down) & now Perry Nuclear. So sorry to hear he was laid off!!

Yup, he was working at the Fremont plant, which is only a couple of miles away from where we live. The closest place he's had to work since he worked at putting in pillars for an addition at a hospital here a few years back. Usually he gets work in Toledo somewhere, or further away. He's union (millright), and his hall finds him work. He hasn't had much work in the past six months.

Karen