New climate zone map invites gardeners to expand their repertoire

St. Louis area gardens are getting hotter.

A new map, released this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reveals that the entire city of St. Louis is a notch warmer than it used to be.

The department’s “Plant Hardiness Zone Map” is a critical guide for gardeners who rely on it to know what to plant, when and where. Under the old map, St. Louis was rated a “6a.” Under the new map, the city is now a “6b,” which signals to gardeners that their gardens can host warmer-weather plants.

“This is news for gardeners,” said Chip Tynan, a horticulturalist with the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden. “So far I haven’t heard the plants say anything about it.”

The color-coded zone map, familiar to anyone who has ever planted a store-bought seed or consulted a gardening book, has not been updated since 1990. It was unveiled this week at the National Arboretum.

For many gardeners, here and across the country, the map reflects a progressive warming trend. It also confirms what they’ve already learned from their gardens: Plants that would not have survived in their locations years ago are now tolerating them because average minimum temperatures are getting warmer over time.

“This is probably the map catching up with our experience,” said Kathie Hoyer, at Bowood Farms, a nursery in the Ce…………… continues on STLtoday.com

It’s time for our annual Putnam County Master Gardeners Advance Training Seminar, which will be held Saturday, Feb. 25.

Come and increase your gardening knowledge, shop vendors, meet fellow gardeners, win door prizes, and enjoy breakfast and lunch (included in registration fee of $ 35. The seminar is open to the public, so you don’t have to be a master gardener. The knowledge gained will be a benefit whether you are an inexperienced or experienced gardener.

Register before Feb. 13 to avoid the fee increase of $ 5 per person.

Linda Lumsdon is the seminar chair for this presentation of the Putnam County Master Gardeners Association. She has worked very hard to find interesting speaker and topics this year.

Topics to be covered and presenters are as follows: Growing and caring for berry bushes, Emma Alkire; Bugs and insects–pests or beneficial, John Thieme; Herbs–growing, drying and uses, Constance Ferry; Mushrooms, molds and mycotoxins, Tom Creswell; and Hydroponics, Jeff Lancaster.

Call the Extension Office at 653-8411 for more info.

Congratulations to the fall Master Gardener class

This year’s Master Gardener class has come to a close. Our Master Gardeners are all very excited to have made it through the class. The class was a 12-week class where the participants learned about soils, plant science, weeds, plant diseases, insects…………… continues on The Banner-Graphic