YIPPEE, I AM NOW IN ZONE 6!!

According to The National Arbor Day Foundation, my hardiness zone went from 5b to 6. Between 1996 and 2006 the warmer climate has made a difference. This doesn't come as a surprise, I have suspected that I was in a microclimate that allowed me to grow zone 6 plants. This is exciting news for me. This makes the range of plants I can look at so much broader.

http://www.arborday.org/media/map_change.cfm

Of course, I suppose that they could change all of the plant information to reflect the zone changes. Will a plant that was once hardy in zone 6 now only be hardy to zone 7? Or is the zone just expanded and no difference really for the plant itself? I guess really it is all trial and error, just as gardening has always been and will continue to be.


Theme Gardening is not something I have really thought too much about, but after all of my garden planning and planting, I have come to realize that my own garden theme is a Blue Garden. I have been carefully cultivating plants which only have flowers that are shades of blue, blue-purple. This is my favorite color. It is the color of spring, my favorite season. It is a cool color, which is refreshing in the summer. It looks fantastic with green (my other favorite color). As I sort through hundreds of packs of seeds for winter sowing and direct sowing, I automatically snatch up all of the blue/purple flowering seeds and keep them to try out. The seeds that will never make it into my gardens have white or yellow flowers. These are my least favorite colors, especially white. I know there are many great attributes to these colors, especially for brightening up shade beds, but white reminds me of snow and cold and sterility. NO THANKS. And I just don't like yellow because it is a fall color and drab to me. I can do some orange and red here and there and like pink okay, but blue and purple are the best.


Onto a sad note, our beloved Buckeyes lost the championship game. What a stunning blow to all of us. Like many, I spent yesterday in mourning, in shock and disbelief. I didn't sleep worth a darn Monday night, I kept waking to Hang on Sloopy running through my mind over and over again. I feel the worst for the team. Especially the seniors who can't try again next year for the perfect season. I greatly appreciate all that they did this season though and still hold my head up high. Thanks team, it has been a great season.