After years of speculating as to the reasons why my garden doesn't thrive in the same way as do, it’s possible that the answer may lie under my feet, so to speak. Note the usage of the word "may", which is frequently followed by the words could have, should have, would have and that old favorite, might have been, since gardening is frequently a speculative undertaking at best. In fact the explanation is so obvious that it’s surprising it’s taken so long to arrive at this simple conclusion: I’m in the wrong zone!
Go know!
As a seasoned gardener I've rarely felt the need or desire to consult with the plant hardiness zone guide. That’s not exactly the truth. Thing is - and let’s keeps this from one gardener to another - I’m directionally-challenged! For me “south” conjures up visions of mint juleps and plantations, “north” is snow and mukluks, “out west” is tumbleweed and oil wells and “back east” is home base.
At this point you’re probably shaking your head in disbelief and astonishment, wondering how I can call myself a gardener and not know in which area my plant zone is located. Simple: I just never bothered to check for one reason or another. My philosophy is and has always been a plant is a plant to be popped into dirt along with a sprinkling of fertilizer and a dose of water. Leave it alone and chances are it'll grow or produce something interesting and green-colored. It now appears that I've been living under a misconception.
This fact was brought to my attention recently during a discussion with a successful plant person, about a new plant specie entering the market place, this summer. Concerned as to whether it would "take" or survive in my garden soil, the question arose as to the hardiness zone in which our house is located. No one had ever asked this question before and my credibility faded as fast as a hosta growing in sunny location.
Attempting to pass myself off as a credible source and being somewhat knowledgeable when it came to growing things, I spun a zoning tale.
"Perhaps zone five…” I lied, “but they’re in the process of making our area zone four or stretching it to zone six.”
The wonderful thing about the Internet is that it supplies information on just about everything a person needs to know about gardening at one's fingertips. Finding the plant hardiness zone map was simple enough but deciphering it was a whole other issue. What struck me was that visually, the map has a lot of eye appeal with pretty colors ranging from your earth tones of browns, beige and yellows, purple and soft lavender, lime to leaf green and for one reason or the other, an unimaginative dull black. There was also a zoom-in and zoom-out device presumably for verifying the exact location of the area in which a garden is located. According to the map we're situated in a light-ish green to mint-green area known as 5b…or maybe it could be 5a…it's a close call… At least we're in a region that's located in a decent color shade and one that's fashionably acceptable. Things like that are important to gardeners – alright to me.
The planting season is here and armed with the knowledge that I'm living in zone 5a or 5b bordering on 6, I'm convinced there’s a chance of a successful growing season ahead. At least that's what I'm telling people. In the end it's all a number’s game, anyway.
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