Arlene Wright-Correll

Gardening Zones for Vermont©



Posted: Friday, September 05, 2008

by
http://www.learn-america.com

When Bridget sent out the list for articles she wanted one of them included "Gardening Zones for Vermont". Well, I thought, how can someone get a minimum of 350 words out of the following words "Zone three and four or three B or four A and B or even Five A" depending where you live in Vermont.

Of course we all need to know our zones. This helps you decide what plants to buy, what perennials to invest in and what to grow. The nice thing about today's nurseries and their plant suppliers is that most plants have tags on them that tell you what zone they grow best in and where to plant them and how to care for them. Some even tell you the average zone temperature range and how long the growing season is and that is really a big help. Plus your local nursery person will rarely stock a perennial that will not survive in your zone in Vermont.

A few years back our government, in all it's deranged wisdom, decided to change the zones and now, depending on where you are looking, you will get about 3 to 5 zone maps that are vaguely similar, but not alike, and that have become the gardeners confuter or nemesis depending on how you look at it.

Never-the-less, getting back to Vermont's zones as I said it depends upon where you live in Vermont. If your average winter temperature is below 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 3 B. If your average winter temperature is below 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 4 A. If your average winter temperature is below 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 4 B. If your average winter temperature is below 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 5 A.

I have never lived in Vermont, but I lived next door to Vermont in Northern New York and we suffered greatly from similar winters and the old maps and especially the new maps do not often take into consideration the microclimates or the soil temperatures of these areas where one's zone, depending on one's winter in any given year, can automatically become 2 or 3 zones. Let me give you an example. Say your home and garden is a property in USDA zone 4 might be able to grow plants ranging from zones 2-3 to 5-6 depending on your Microclimate and soil temperatures.

Confusing? You betcha! You will have to figure out where you are in those temperatures and plant accordingly. You must remember that these are merely guides and they talk about average temperatures and we all know that winter weather often is not average. I do not think these zone guides reflect the difference in annual and perennial plants and in the event you are in the same frame of mind you will have to seek help from a good nursery person in your local area.

Joining a local gardening club will usually have some old timers who really know a lot about what will survive the winters or even the summers in your Vermont zone.

"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with

Peace, Light and Love,

Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com

About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

This Article has been viewed 138 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.