Warmer Winters Change Washington (DC) Foliage

[marmar]

Warmer Winters Change Washington Foliage


Tuesday, December 26, 2006
WASHINGTON - Fifteen years of warm winter weather is beginning to change the Washington area's landscape - with Southern species like crape myrtles having an easier time and northern types feeling less welcome, according to findings by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

The foundation has revised its map of "hardiness zones" - with each of the nine zones showing a range of average annual low temperatures that help serve as a guide for gardeners and others.

One big change was that the entire Washington area was reclassified in the same zone as parts of Texas and North Carolina. In 1990, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the region sat on the border of the northern and southern zones.

"You could say D.C. is the new North Carolina," said Bill McLaughlin, a curator at the U.S. Botanic Garden on the Mall.

McLaughlin said he was pleased to find that more Southern species like the needle palm or the yaupon, a holly, could be grown more easily. But he added that he believed native plants might eventually find their growing seasons shifted and their life cycles out of sync with pollinating insects.

"It's exciting, in a way," he said. "It's alarming, when you look at native plant communities." ....... (more)

The rest of the story is at: http://home.peoplepc.com/psp/newsstory.asp?cat=TopStories&id=20061226/4590ac50_3ca6_1552620061226258963516

[Joanne98]

1. Does this mean they're going to change the zone catagories?

I'm in 5. Will I be in 6 next year?

[A Simple Game]

2. New updated hardiness zones at link below

Top right of page.

http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm