I used to think I was a zone pusher, or, as we say here, I was in zonal denial. Cape Cod was, until recently, officially in zone 6, and I grew a lot of woody plants that were rated for warmer areas: Vitex agnus-castus (Crape Myrtle), Camellia, Jasminium nudiflorum (Winter Jasmine), Vitex agnus-castus (Chaste Tree), Quercus phellos (Willow Oak) and others. It was so exciting when they survived here, I really felt like I was beating the system. Now we've been re-zoned to 7, and it's sort of taken the fun out of the whole thing.

Even with the warmer mean temperatures, or warmer average lows, a bad winter like 2004-2005 can wreak havoc for zone pushing gardeners. I didn't lose much outright that year, but several large woody plants died to the roots. I think I've said this here before, but I'll repeat it: it's hard to have a garden designed around plants that are 12' tall one year and 9" tall the next; this is what happened to most of my marginally hardy plants. Many have come back well, but the summer following the deep freeze my garden looked pretty bare.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, and unfortunately a lot of our regulars seem to be elsewhere these days - maybe somewhere warmer? - so you may not get as many replies as you'd normally get here.

Love the show, by the way!

As a Science Friday fan, I'll also add my thots, tho I am somewhat new to gardening (5 years) and to New England (6 years).

I am more confused by the delayed onset of winter this year and last, than I am by overall warming. In both of these years, we had temps in the 70s in January, with little to no snow until February. What does this delayed onset do to pest populations, like Winter Moth? What is the impact on bird migration? What about woody plants, developing full buds or flowering in January, only to be hit by snow and ice in February?

Lastly, as I plan my spring planting for this year, I am not "pushing zones" for exactly the reasons DTD described: one bad winter would set me way back, aesthetically and financially....

I must say, tho, I'll be thinking more and more about camellias if we continue to have mild winters.

Good luck!
ML

I'm a zone pusher. Climate changes have not impacted my plant selections but the quest to grow something different and exciting has. In my experience, it's all about siting- identifying and capitalizing on the microclimates and winter dry zones that exist in your garden. We're pretty much a solid zone 6 here. The temperature rarely goes below 0 F, but we get alot of nights in the single digits and extended periods of time when the daytime temps don't get above freezing.

Currently I grow hardy banana, and Crepe myrtle in a patio garden with southern exposure and backed by a garage. It's probably a zone 7 bed even in a regular winter-whatever that is. Come spring I plan to add a hardy Palm-probably a Sabal minor cultivar. Last fall I was given a Tetrapanax and told I could probably overwinter that with early spring planting, proper siting and heavy winter mulch. It's worth a try, right? Recently I started reading a book called 'Palms Won't Grow Here and Other Myths" by David Francko. The book contains lots of good information for us wayward zone pushers.

This winter may end up wreaking havoc on unprotected marginal plants-in my garden that would be Vitex, Abelia, Osmanthus, shrub Crepe Myrtles.... It was freakishly warm through January then turned arctic cold and until the past few days has been that way for weeks. Not good.

Sue

I've been keeping a journal online since 2000, called Notes from Zone 4, titled that because it was an accurate reading. I live in a little micro-climate in southwest NH, that the locals call the icebox of Cheshire County. A local company used to have a slogan -- the colder it gets, the faster we ship.

We have a weather station on our roof, and every year, would go down to minus 30, usually in late January, early February.

These past two years, we haven't gone below minus 10, and I guess I'm going to have to rename the journal!

I have to admit that there's a part of me that is enjoying being able to grow things now that I couldn't before. I've got a wisteria that is zone 6 that is gorgeous.

I start a gazillion plants under lights every year, like 70 window boxes that line my deck. Every year, I am able to bring them out earlier.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my basement set up

According to the maps, I am zone 5 (before and after the change), but I have such a hard time getting zone 5 stuff to survive, I count myself as zone 4.

The last 3 years I have had butterfly bushes survive. The first of those years, it snowed so much that they got about 3 feet of insulation. The last 2 winters have been relatively mild.

Lavender (Z5) didn't survive last winter, we'll see if the plants I planted last summer survived this winter. Never had any roses survive either except rugosas (indestructable) - I planted another one last spring, we'll see about that one too.

About 3 years ago, I did have a dahlia (Z6!) survive the winter. I had forgotten about planting it since it never bloomed, so I didn't dig it up. however, that was the winter where wegot several feet of snow early, which stayed, so there was plenty of insulation. It didn't come back after the next winter though.

I guess this is my way of saying that I haven't noticed any difference in the 19 years we have lived here (although I still optomistically buy a few Z5 plants every now and again just to see if they will survive).

Kathy Purdy from Cold Climate Gardening might be another good resource for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cold Climate Gardening

thanks everyone - this is really useful! I'm thinking of compiling a zone pusher slideshow for our website. if you want to contribute, send a pic of your zone pushed plant/or garden with some description of what you're planting outside your zone. em: plantpics@sciencefriday.com