"New Hardiness Zone Map Will Help US Gardeners Keep Pace With Climate Change"

"WASHINGTON — Southern staples like magnolia trees and camellias may now be able to grow without frost damage in once-frigid Boston.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ” plant hardiness zone map ” was updated Wednesday for the first time in a decade, and it shows the impact that climate change will have on gardens and yards across the country.

Climate shifts aren’t even — the Midwest warmed more than the Southeast, for example. But the map will give new guidance to growers about which flowers, vegetables and shrubs are most likely to thrive in a particular region. "

Christina Larson reports for the Associated Press November 18, 2023.

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"The Plants Tell The Story: Massachusetts’ Coldest Days Not Nearly So Cold" (Boston Globe)