I'm not sure my postal code would make it through to get a reply! I imagine if you did get a zone to come up, that it would be wrong. The zone FAQ IS US orientated but then so is the forum so that's fair enough I was wondering about our bulb loving members across the big pond and wondering how it should be handled. Flora, you chose then to list your zone as a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) zone? I've always been curious about your zone8/9. vetivert, Have you also chosen to list your zone as a USDA zone? I've wondered about yours too, and deduced you are in a 'quite' warm zone, compared to mine. If either of you have a link to a zone map for your areas, I 'think' I can include it in the FAQ too...will have to have it verified before input. I was told that linking to informational sites was allowed. I 'think' it would be all right to link to USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map What do you think about linking to similar sites for finding one's zone in NI, NZ, or UK? Needed? Would it be used? Do you know of similar sites? Want them included if it is all right? And a reference that takes account of altitude could be useful to those hardy gardeners in Colorado, Utah, and California perching high in the hills! Is that what one would refer to as micro-climates? Maybe touch on them a bit too, explaining that the zones are 'approximate' and could vary some depending upon one's location within the zone. One little nit-pick. 6. 'Gladiola'..... Gladiolus (singular) Gladioli (plural) Not nit-picking at all. I would like things to be as correct as possible, which includes terms, spelling, grammar and punctuation. So who wants to pull together the reply as it could be posted? I have read and read about the USDA zones and find myself then using 'their words' and sure don't want to get into any plagiarizing problems on down the line. btw...all members who contribute to the input will be mentioned and given credit, so I guess we can used each others input without it being an actual quote, right? Am I stressing and over thinking all this? This is just the first FAQ...sigh. (PS you might like to make #2 the one that covers 'I left my bulbs in a baggie and forgot to plant them. Now what?' ;-))) ) being a 'seasonal' question, I inserted it after #5. It will appear before folks start posting Help! My daffodils are emerging too early!

Vienna is zone 8a, so almost any fig can survive in this city unless there is some extraordinary cold winter. Temperatures rarely drop below 0 F, usually not below 5 F. Planty of figs in Vienna. I am myself about 80 km from Vienna in zone 7a. Figs usually survive here, but every 4th 5th winter die to the ground, when temperatures are near to 0 F. Since I grow figs in form of bush, it is no problem, Figs grow fast, so after 2 years you have nice tree. So I would say zone 7 is ok for growing figs. Figs will almost always survive on roots and recover and if there are a few mild winters - you will have nice trees and nice harvests. Temperatures are not everything. Most imporant is the timing of frosts. If they come in the middle of dormancy - it is not so big problem. If they come after warm spell in February - most figs are usually damaged. No cultivar of common fig is absolutely winter resistant in zone 7 or lower. Even in zone 8 it can freeze once a decade. I have seen a lot of cultivars and tried myseld and I am pretty sure about this.

Yet why USDA does not update its own maps or make them more refined with more detail showing. I was in Bluffton, SC and it has adult old palm trees growing that would not survive in a USDA zone 8B. It must be 9A or even higher. I think it's time for USDA to review its 20 year old hardiness zone maps. Do you think it makes sense if USDA after rejecting Arborday maps review their own maps? The only reason why USDA won't I think is the artificial cloud cover they are creating and thus cooling the climate down and back to the old hardiness zones. Like this winter they created a freak snow storm in southern SC by spraying clouds, an ugly mist in the sky which lower temperatures so much that it started snowing and my palms died that would usually survive in this area. I also spent 50% more on a heating bill last winter. So I think this could be the reason why USDA won;t review their :hardiness map" because they are not sure themselves where the climate will be with all the artificial cloud cover making going on in the sky. And only a very busy person can not notice what's happening up in there. I will go South FL to make sure my palms survive. I hope no snow in SFL next winter.... ;-)

Hardiness zones are kind of general guidelines, since some years get so much colder than others. As Dawn said in the post on nandinas, some winters--this past one, for instance--we can experience weather a zone or two colder than the norm. So I wouldn't worry about it so much. Zones are used to choose perrenial plants, shrubs and trees. The main thing to know is that the zones lower than 6 are north of you so you can plant anything rated for zones up to 6 safely. Stuff rated for zones 8-10 aren't likely to survive a winter in your area.