Spring is here so Utahns are digging into plant gardens, flowers, shrubs and trees. And there’s guidance about what plants might flourish across the state as average temperatures rise.
For the first time since 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map late last year. It’s considered the gold standard for planting gardens and crops that will thrive.
Most notably, data in the map collected over 30 years show that temperatures across the U.S. are about 2.5 degrees warmer.
“It does sound significant, and I think some gardeners in Utah have been noticing changes in warming temperatures over time,” said Red Butte Garden horticulturist Crystal Kim. “It shows that we could potentially plant some new things in our gardens — some new plants that we haven't tried before.”
Along with temperatures, Kim said some of the changes in Utah's hardiness zones can be attributed to more precise measurements.
“The USDA has a lot more technology and localized data collection than they did when the last map came out.”
“The map is quite detailed now,” she continued and all Utah gardeners need to do to dig into data specific to where they live is put in their zip code.
Utah’s climate can vary north to south and there’s a hodgepodge of plant hardiness zones in the state.
“Along the Wasatch Front, we may range from zone five to zone seven. Higher elevations may be into zone four or three. As the numbers decrease, that's a colder zone. Southern Utah might be eight or nine,” said Kim.
Don’t expect to be growing bananas anytime soon. The shifts in Utah’s zones are slight at this point, Kim said. Still, she recommends finding native Utah plants that don’t require a lot of water. And, as the planet continues to warm, gardeners in Utah will have to adapt further.
“Drought, extreme heat, and other extreme weather events are things that we need to learn to live with and adapt to. So, anything that we can plant that can withstand those types of weather events that can thrive on less water, that can deal with the heat that we have here and temperature fluctuations, will just make the transition into the future a little easier, a little better.”
Editor’s Note: Red Butte Garden is a sponsor of KUER.
