Very true, and even in the US I am told there is a difference
in climate between
USDA Zone 5 in the eastern US and out west. That is what makes
the Sunset zones a
useful addendum.


The Sunset zones are far superior to the USDA zones. USDA merely
takes the average coldest temperature for a region, so determines
the potential winter hardiness of a plant.

The Sunset zones attempt to take in cold as well as hot, then add
the rainfall (or lack) to it, wave a wand and come up with a real
environmental zone that tells the real limits of where a plant
will best GROW.

Even the Southern Living Magazine system is better than USDA.

Perhaps, if the USDA and the Am. Horticultural Society could get
together -- merging the USDA hardiness with the AHS heat zones --
we'd have a really good system. As it stands now, you have to do
a LOT of reading between the lines, and you have to know your
plant.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

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