Don't Get Fooled By Your Gardening Zone! 🙅🏼‍♀️ :: Hardiness vs. Heat vs. Sunset Zones?!

“Its a dirty job, but you will never regret a single day when you’re gardening.” -Michael Abbate
Welcome! Join me today for a deep dive into gardening zone maps. We all should know what Hardiness Zone we garden in, but do you know your heat zone? Or your Sunset Zone? ☀️ Enjoy!
#zone9b, #sunsetzones, #gardeningzones
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This video is not sponsored, however some plants and equipment that I use in my garden have been provided to me to try out!
Amazon Associate: Some links are commissioned. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases! Thank you all so much for supporting me!

[@daiseegray9110]

Hi Janey, I took my master gardener certification two years ago. The I information you are providing is so valuable to your watchers. Your explanation is easy to understand and I’m sure many ❤ this content during the down season zone 6a 🌼🐝❄️

[@twobluestripes]

Before I’ve even finished watching this video, I know it will help so many people. I’ve found this so confusing until I really dug down into the various maps. The Sunset Zones are used on CalScape to describe where California native plants grow and thrive, and I have found them the MOST specific and useful. i wish all plants were labeled with these in addition to the cold hardiness zones. I guess I hadn’t realized it covered mostly the West, but I think it covers a lot more than just CA! I’m a Sunset Zone 22 and it’s really cool to read about all the different zones adjoining me! The Heat Zone map I was excited to find, and then after looking up my location a few times, realized it was useless for me. It is supposed to show how many days a year (on average) above 86 degrees, but since it wasn’t updated since it’s creation, I’ve found that it’s now extremely inaccurate for my locations in Orange and Santa Ana CA. I actually sat and hand-counted the number of days 87 and up for every year of the last 8 years, and it was definitely higher than our 1997 heat zone indicated. Anecdotally, most people who live here would also say we have more very hot days and heat waves most years than we did even 10 years ago, and definitely compared to 20 years ago, and it’s not just perception. The numbers are up and the map is out of date as a result.

[@GardenHappy]

Wow you are so smart as well! What a nice comment to share!!!

[@Dedendwight]

I’m in north Orange County and I’ve been trying to look up the heat zone map… I’m not finding anything specific. Is it possible for you to share a link? I sure appreciate all your help!!!

[@kathleensigel9619]

Janey, I love that you are expanding your videos to include this helpful information. I too live in zone 9B. However I am in northern Ventura County, just south of Santa Barbara County. I hope that you will link some of your videos to include links to all three of the maps you discussed here. Sometimes on your videos I have wondered why you have certain plants and now I realize why. Thank you so much and keep up the great videos for us westerners.

[@kayjane2115]

🤯🤯🤯 Thank you for this!!! I have never before heard of a heat zone map! Living in Zone 8b, I definitely need this map!! Yay! 💃🏼 Happy Gardening! 💃🏼

[@claudiaceleste777]

Such an interesting video Janey, thank you! For us non Fahrenheit users, 86F is 30C… I was a little shooketh because where I live in Australia, we are similar to a US zone of 9B with a humidity average if 60%, but average Summer temperature of 29-35C (up to 95F), and one to two week long heat waves of about 42-45C (around 107-113F). I’m amazed any plants have survived during these times and I love my cottage style blend garden. My priority is creating shade and still being able to enjoy some kind of colour around the garden as it matures. Eventually a cottage garden may not work as well and I’ll move more into a formal blended garden with some hedging and topiaries, coupled with wilder areas of sun hardy flowers and dry shade perennials.

[@ilnpa2722]

💙💓💚HOW EXCITING! Thank you for sharing this info. You’re totally on your way to be a REAL master gardener. I can’t wait for the new season to see what new goodies I can plant 🌱🤩🌱Have a nice weekend!

[@jennifernash4638]

Jim Putnam also talks about how growing zone is only one consideration. I'm technically in Zone 7b but the arboretums and botanical gardens around me have perennialized plants into zone 9, so that has really encouraged me to stretch and try out plants that the zone indications say wouldn't work. I wish there was something like sunset zones for the east coast!

[@jackiediamond5487]

Hi Janey! Your information was so helpful to me who lives in Tampa. I started watching you because we are both in 9B but quickly realized we have very different weather. Thanks for sharing this valuable information 💕

[@liv4wkn632]

Wow! Spoken like a true master gardener 👩‍🌾 and you haven’t even started your classes yet 🤩 Who knew there were so many zones to factor in 🤷‍♀️ Thanks for breaking that all down for us - off to find my zones now 😁

[@03jelica]

Wow Janey, thank you for all that information! I’m sure I will be referring to it again and sharing your video. 😊

[@ShadowNight-kt3dz]

I live in zone 9a Louisiana, but get away with some zone 10 plants. Ficus, staghorn ferns, and heliconia. However, some zone 9 plants die quickly on me such as zonal geranium and petunias because we are so hot and humid in the summer. Knowing your individual climate is so so useful when you are gardening.

[@itsmewende]

Ya know, in my 40 yrs of gardening it's just been the last couple I heard it refereed to with a or b. I'm 7b right now, but my climate lets me garden as if I'm in 8a. This was so interesting, for the first time ever I saw a zone 9 plant for sale at Lowe's, I thought that was very strange.

[@ElderandOakFarm]

So jealous of those of you with little humidity. Im only in 6b but we have an average of 70%+ humidity & is sooooo miserable! I lived in California for the summer when i was 16 & it was LOVE! With high humidity you INSTANTLY feel like youre in a sauna a soon as you walk outside, & you feel sticky & sweaty, & I have trouble breathing (I have asthma). I have never heard of heat & sunset zones, but I will definitely be looking into them/ looking out for them! Ty Janie!

[@proudmomma7095]

Janey! As a beginner gardener who has been watching KZbin videos for about a year to learn more about gardening, this is my first time learning about these towhee maps! I am in South Florida, zone 10b and pining over the beautiful options in lower zones. I will check out these maps to help expand my selections! Thank you!

[@rachelidasetima6574]

Hello I am in Northeast Florida zone 9a. The closest KZbin channel I found that relates to me is Hortube with Jim Putnam. In South Florida you are going to be more tropical which is not common for most gardeners. I suggest looking up your local county extension office and they would be able to give you more specific information for your area.

[@TheScentofaGarden]

Hi Janey! Totally agree! The Sunset magazine zones are very helpful! I also use their books as a guide and inspiration. The heat zone map is new to me! Thanks for sharing! Living in southern Cal, zone 10b, winters are mild. Late summer brings the HEAT!

[@GardenHappy]

Great tip on micro climates! You are so smart Jayne and talk so well on camera. I always have to do voice overs cause i fumble all over my words! Hahaha 🧡❤️💜💙💚

[@karysu51]

Well done, Janey! You are a natural, articulate and knowledgable. Very good information. I depend a lot on my local garden centers for planting information. They only carry what grows in our area and when I tell them what area in my yard I want to plant they are very helpflul. When something is labled full sun it often cannot survive in our intense heat and needs a break from the sun. I have learned this the hard way. I look for heat tolerant plants because I live in zone 9b central California.

[@monicamacauley3750]

Janey, you are the Goddess of Gardening. I love the simple yet in depth way you explain things. I have learned soooo much from you and Cali Kim and Garden Answer.

[@anne7667]

I LOVE your KZbin videos. And, I am especially glad you are going to become a Master Gardener so I can learn from you. I’d love for you to show us your books when you get them and then post the list so we can get the ones which interest us. I’m in Zone 9b too so am looking forward to your spring flowers. Thank you.

[@deborahmetcalfe8443]

When I first learned about the AHS & Sunset zones a few years ago I was all excited because I thought it might open up some plant options for me that I otherwise might not have tried. I was always trying to educate anybody who would listen, whether it be my FB group (Admin for SoCal/Pacific SW chapter of Garden Answer Groupies) or just neighbors and friends. But what I found was that even though it was great info to know in terms of making me look & feel like a smarter gardener (LOL), at the end of the day it wasn't very helpful. The problem becomes where to source the plants you might want to try but are outside of your cold hardiness zone. Most local garden centers only want to sell plants that they know will survive in your area, and they base that on your cold hardiness zone. Even if you're willing to put up with the extra time & expense of online ordering, many sites won't ship a plant to you that is outside of your cold hardiness zone, based on your shipping address. They don't want to take the risk of the plant dying and you being unhappy with them. It's the same reason we can't get Supertunias shipped to us in 9b from PW until the middle of May when actually we could start planting in late March/early April. They only want to do what THEY think is best based on your gardening zone, and by that they mean your standard cold hardiness zone. It's the same reason you don't see AHS heat zones listed on plants (or very rarely) in spite of the efforts by the American Horticultural Society to get that started. In order to stay competitive in the marketplace, plant sellers have to offer "money back guarantees" or "100% satisfaction" promises so they're not willing to take the risk of selling you plants that might be OK in your AHS or Sunset zones but are not in your cold hardiness zone. Another thing to consider is that based on your cold hardiness zones alone, TECHNICALLY those of us in these hotter 9-10-11 zones should be able to grow most anything. Let's say you want to grow a plant in 9b that has a cold hardiness zone rating of 7b. All that means is that it's going to be able to withstand cold temperatures all the way down to 5-10 degrees F (7b). Well since we know it's never going to get that cold in 9b, we should be able to grow 7b plants. But our heat will not let us be successful (most of the time) in growing 7b plants because we don't have enough cool days. So even though the cold hardiness zones on plant labels don't consider our AHS or Sunset zones, they still give us a good enough general guide for them to be used by themselves. I did love your explanation on why a Tampa 9b may not be the same as a Davis 9b. I moved from the Tampa area to Southern CA and so have always gardened in 9b. And while there are many similarities in plants, there are definitely some differences due to the factors you mentioned. (Sorry about the length of this post. The whole zone thing has been something I've "pondered" a lot in gardening!)

[@sudahiawad4498]

Oh my gosh! You've shed so much light on this topic for me. I finally understand the zones now! Thank you! 😃💚

[@linakhoury6623]

Good morning Janey 🌺 I like to grow plants and trees that live in adifferent weather than ours,it's afun thing for me .Have awonderful day .🌻🦋🌻

[@beckybainer9019]

Mystery solved… thank you for shedding light on this. This information is very helpful.

[@angie_texas7986]

Wow!! Thank you never knew about all these different zoning maps. Thank you so muck.

[@simplybloom]

I saw your thumbnail and I thought that you were a meteorologist at first! Great info! I’m pushing my luck with planting a bunch of zone 4 plants in my garden around my house, hoping that they will be protected enough by the house. But I just heard that they are expecting an extremely hard winter in my area this year so we will see how they do!

[@jimmiecheek4392]

Great information. That explains why it’s been difficult finding plants that will thrive or even survive in full sun in my garden. 8a. North Texas

[@knotyourhandle]

I’m so glad I have discovered your channel Im located in the other 9B making it difficult to indulge my english garden dreams for my yard. Thank you for sharing your knowledge❤❤

[@digsindirt4490]

Wanted to add… thank you for the clear and easy to understand explanations. For new gardeners, a link in the show notes to the different maps might be helpful.

[@melonieroe7310]

Excellent. Well done. Very informative. I learned a lot about resources as well as good information. I am really enjoying your great journey. I am envious. I am looking forward to next spring with you and your garden. Oh yes and your master class. I imagine you will be sharing a lot of good fun.

[@nativeandunusualplants3582]

Great video, I tell people not to be afraid to zone push. I grow all kinds of plants that I'm apparently not suppose to grow! I'm in southern Ontario and the great lakes easily bumps up our winter growing climate 1, maybe 2 USDA zones more than if the great lakes were not present!

[@julietaylor9638]

Janey, That was so well done. Thank you for your clear explanation of all the zones. I know everyone who watches will learn something new, or be reminded of something they have forgotten!

[@joannetolleson1086]

Awesome information! I didn't realize the heat zone map existed! 😊

[@farrahsgardendiary]

Janey Master Gardener😊 so cool. I found this information out when I was trying to grow Japanese Maple. The humidity here in Florida is crazy and a lot of other zone 9 are way more tolerant than ours. I have my own microclimate near the woods that I will be migrating my zone 8 hydrangeas to and see how they survive. They are not liking the heat at all🥴☹️

[@gracehSF]

This is a really helpful video. I’m in a hardiness zone 10b, heat zone 1, sunset zone 17. I’ve never really followed the hardiness zone since it isn’t very helpful to me. Now I know why.

[@karenbaker5485]

Excellent video. This is one I will save as a reference and come back to often. Thanks for your great explanation of each reference.

[@jeanniecollier6763]

OH MY WORD!! THE VERY BEST INFO !!

[@saracope8488]

Janey, this was the most informative video to date!

[@ebargholz]

So helpful!! Thank you!

[@deannaginder-west4995]

You did such a great job at presenting this information!

[@ButterfliesNBirds]

Great information - thank you! 😊

[@carlycarlough7157]

This is amazing!!! Thank you!

[@chrishunsaker85]

Awesome video Janey!!!

[@lindis2660]

Thank you! Great information!

[@msandreapalacio]

Well done ! Super helpful

[@hopepruitt1889]

Thank you that is so helpful.

[@jhazperphresh9844]

Thank you for talking about, there's a lot of misinformation about cold hardiness zones here on youtube.

[@janeta2559]

So helpful. Thank you Janey

[@katricefaulkner]

Awesome video! I’m learning so much from your videos. I love your style of presentation on well researched and thought out information. And the background on this video is beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

[@tinamcnamara5167]

Wow, what great info! Thanks! I'm going to look up my zones right now!

[@rhondamoffit6490]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

[@amandasides5033]

What fantastic information!

[@jenniedockendorf]

Super helpful video! I learned something new! Thanks Janey!

[@thebeginnergarden8961]

Thank you for all that useful information!

[@debrawhobrey1625]

Great information, thanks.

[@NusratZ2]

Thank you so much! Today's video is very informative. Always love your videos!

[@angelacollins1343]

Thank you, wonderful information. Very helpful!

[@myhanh2454]

Thanks for sharing these information! It is very helpful!

[@rerekitty1956]

Thank you thank you thank you for this one. I learned alot! .

[@user-te3xr2lx6v]

Hi Janey. Thank you for this information. I follow you for many months and I hear you saying about zones and I tried to find my zone with no succes. Now I see why. I dont leave inUSA!!!

[@CHRISTINA-dl6kg]

I Loved your video! Thank you so much for the info!

[@theropesofrenovation9352]

Thanks!

[@2Peachcobler]

Great video!

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

Then there's the places that a plant can survive the winters but the growing season doesn't give enough heat for it to produce mature fruit. For many years, my grape vines grew perfectly. Flowered and put on fruit. but the fruit never ripened. The last three years have been exceptionally warm and the grapes ripened. Tree lines are another example. The natural northern limit for trees is not corelated to how cold the winter gets, but how warm the summer gets!

[@barbarawitt9989]

I only knew about the one... Thanks ever so much!!!

[@tracytracyWM]

Very useful info! Especially because I am about to plant a Wichita Blue in my landscape 😅

[@valeriestrickler6902]

That is a lot of information. I think Ill have to watch this a few more times 😉 thx a heap😁 have a great weekend.

[@reenuchacko9128]

Excellent video and explanation

[@tlcgarden2300]

Great video. I’ve been questioning my hardiness zone for awhile now. The plants that should be doing fine in my zone are not! It’s good to know I have other resources for information. I especially will have to check out the Sunset zones. Thanks! ❤️M

[@MarigoldsintheGarden]

Thank you Janey! This is a wonderful and informative video/ Even though I live in Australia I can totally relate to what you are saying about all of the different classifications. We live in an elevated rainforest belt that seems to be micro zone. It isn't straight forward. Sometimes I get frustrated when the national weather forecast is given because it is so generalised. You have explained microclimates so perfectly!!! I have never heard of a sunset zone before. I must have a look on the internet to see if we have a similar classification system. 😊By the way, I was wondering how you were able to grow your beautiful blue spruce tree! 😀🌲

[@tammyrice1529]

Thanks for sharing all this information. I had forgotten about the heat zone map. Have a wonderful day.

[@KP-gw5zv]

Thank you for all this information this morning. It has helped me through these past 3 growing seasons. I do realize this is not the be all end all to growing and it is just a guide but it has helped me stretched outside the box in growing other plants. Anyways thank you once again and have a wonderful day.

[@BACKYARDBLOOMSWITHKIM]

I was thinking about doing a video on this same subject, recommended by one of my subscribers. Especially hydrangeas and limelight's. Very informative and could have not said it any better. Thanks Kim

[@sharonbannister6564]

Another very helpful video! I guess I’ll drag out that old Sunset Gardening book😎

[@DigPlantWaterRepeat]

It’s a good one!

[@heidijones1516]

Hi Janey, I really appreciate this video!! I've been confused about how the old Sunset zones tied into the more recent US hardiness and heat maps for awhile. It would be so helpful to have all of that info on plant tags or a website where that info is available. . . ah yes. in a perfect world. 🙃

[@Ghost-dz4fl]

I come from Aberdeen WA same as the grunge band Nirvana. Technically zone 9 but 70 degree days are rare and they get 7 feet of rain... I moved inland to a zone 8 garden and grow palms that can take teens or lower. I keep them dry for months and insulated on our super cold spells. Fun video. Thanks

[@Ghost-dz4fl]

I'm growing a hesper palm for example in sunset zone 4, USDA zone 8. It made it through 13 degrees. I think it's technically a sunset zone 13! A Canadian palm grower says they are hit and miss and often aren't long term. So I don't know if I am a plant enthusiast or euthanasiast!

[@hayleyfletcher2773]

When is your release date for a book Janey 😜 you are smashing things all around you! Huge congratulations & Thankyou for helping me start my days with a coffee xx

[@JermaineGertse]

This is super helpful... I'm not even in the us...

[@digsindirt4490]

My wish is for heat zones to be more prevalent on plant labels because that matters more to us in the south. Better yet… combine the two maps and come up with a combined code. I’m a 9a cold 9 hot. So it could be 9a.9 or 9a-9 or whatever. Or drop the a/b and do cool as numbers and heat as letters. I’d probably be 9W. LOL

[@CristalMermaid]

This is interesting I looked up Orlando FL and it is Heat Zone 10 but a growing zone 9b. We have a harder time growing garlic and strawberries than you guys and It’s probably because of that. Thanks for the video this is great information.

[@NOT-WOKE-007]

I’m in Goodyear, AZ where it gets to 117 at times in the Summer! Way too hot for one of my boginvoillna plants.

[@rachelidasetima6574]

I initially started watching your channel cause you are a zone 9 like me. Soon I found out that you could grow things that I can’t in Florida. It seems that it gets quite colder at night for you in the summer and then takes awhile to heat up. I enjoy this time of year cause there is so much more that I can grow now and it’s much more pleasant to be outside. As long as there are no more surprises hurricanes. 😂

[@rootelation486]

Omg....the 9 months of summer with 3.5 months of 100% humidity is brutal.....for me AND my plants🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

[@alcg3981]

I was surprised some years ago to see that one of my Sisters in Georgia has a Sunset Southern Garden Book! Smaller than our Western one, don't know why, but I'm sure there are book for other U.S. Regions. Thank you for taking the time to explain the differences. I bet they're starting to rezone the Sunset books for the next edition!

[@Lealelan]

Thx you. Late watching this but so happy I did. I definitely need to look at the Sunset zones more closely. I'm zone 9B, on the coast north of San Francisco, yet my friends inland where the minimum temps do freeze, have daytime temps 30 degrees higher, and are also 9B. I dont get that. I can't grow peonies because I dont have the freeze and they need that. But for other plants I dont understand why it wouldnt be recommended for a 9B? I guess because of heat. Specifically thinking about a firelight hydrangea which is recommended for zones 3-8. Given our cooler temps here I'm gonna try it. But dang, it is really confusing!

[@ddgardner5671]

Southern Living magazine has a zone map that they say takes heat as well as cold into account: _However, for Southern gardeners, it's important to note that because the USDA map reflects minimum yearly temperatures, it functions solely as a cold-hardiness map. In the South, heat is as much a limiting factor as cold. Therefore, when we give a plant a climate zone rating in the Southern Living Plant Guide, we take into account both summer heat and winter cold._ [...] _So, if we recommend astilbe as a permanent plant for your area, we mean that it will not only survive your winters but also endure your summers, and that it will perform satisfactorily for you. We won't recommend astilbe for the Coastal or Tropical South, because although it can handle the winters there, in summer it melts faster than ice sculptures on a cruise ship._

[@DaveCollierCamping]

Excellent info - those zones are just guides- not etched in stone

[@eileenchang2173]

Excellent and new information ! Thank you.! By the way for the first half of the video you refer to North America and showed the USA map.North America includes more than the USA so you may want to correct it in future videos. Thanks Janey ! 🌸❤️🇨🇦

[@greenthumbelina7331]

Janey, thanks for sharing the Sunset Zone map with us, I had never heard of it before, however, I knew about the Hardiness and Heat zone maps. After watching this video, I'm curious enough to start searching for information on a comparable map for my area, zone 5a. It could be a Midwest Zone map or a Sunrise Zone map, something that is equivalent to the western states' Sunset Zone map. Wish me luck! Have a wonderful weekend! ~Margie🌅🤗

[@traxmom]

I do wish it was easier to find your Sunset Zone. All the maps I can find online are such low resolution that I can't tell for sure which zone I'm in. There are several that I'm so close to. The heat zone map from the American Horticultural Society is also a bit of a guess in our area. Because they don't show city names on the map, I have to guess I'm either a zone 5, 6, or 7 because there are several borders in our neck of the woods. It's not as easy as find your USDA Hardiness zone where you just enter your zip code.

[@rashawnabennett2776]

Janey! I’m in the same zone as you! Central Valley CA! How often are you running your drip in this weather? I’m struggling to figure out how much I should be right now

[@QueenBee-xd1xk]

Okay this was wonderful information, I learned so much!! But one thing I'm STILL SO CONFUSED about and always have been, the USDA hardiness zone map is about cold temperatures, so why are we extrapolating that to how hot things are? Example at 6:58 of this video. If a plant says zone 5-8 which is the coldest temperature it can withstand, and You are in zone 9 then shouldn't you be okay because you are warmer than the coldest temperature allowed? Nowhere does the hardiness zone map say it has anything to do with heat, yet plant listings always show a range which is really confusing. If the coldest temperature was allowable was in zone 5 why doesn't the tag just say zone 5 instead it says 5 through 7. But if hardiness is just about cold temperatures then in this example zone 9 would be ok. I hear all gardeners talking about USDA hardiness zones as if they are cold and heat zones and I find it so confusing. Can someone please explain this to me once and for all?

[@taraliou1021]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@GOAT_GOATERSON]

This was a good video but I do have a question. What USDA zone is Gillam, Manitoba in? I know the Canadian hardiness zone but I don't know what USDA zone it is

[@aimeesgardens]

I knew there had to be more to it than just hardiness zones. Technically I am in zone 9 A, about an hour or so East of you in Pollock Pines CA and I found it unbelievable that our hardiness zones are so close and our weather is widely different. Can anyone recommend where to find this information online? I can't seem to find it anywhere 😢

[@budstik]

Any idea what sunset zone range for Avocados? I am in hardiness zone 8b, but I don't think we are much higher than a 5 for sunset zone.

[@IAmHisBeloved5]

Fahrenheit or Celsius? Are you saying that’s the frost temperature? In regards to the hardiness zone map.

[@tarikmehmedika2754]

Too bad there are no sunset zones for Europe, it is so hard to determine one for Europe because the climate is so much temperate. The average winters are not as cold and summers are not as hot as US at similar latitude and also humidity varies a lot.