Body
Some exciting news came out last week for gardeners across the nationthe USDA released the new plant hardiness zone maps based on previous year’s high and low temperature data. Everyone knows we’ve been getting hotter, and the thermometers back this up! All of St. Bernard Parish and the upper Plaquemines Parish area has shifted from USDA Zone 9a to Zone 9b, and lower Plaquemines Parish is now 10a, in-line with central Florida. Overall, winters have been averaging warmer, in spite of the periodic polar vortex events that bring frost to the area. Summer temperatures were high, even overnight, contributing to the warming climate data. This was reflected in plants this year. Fruits that require chill hours to make a crop mostly did not produce fruit, while more tropical, cold-sensitive species did pretty well this year. Drought-hardy, tropical ornamental plants had a great year and still look good now, into fall. To see the new hardiness map, visit https://planthardiness. ars.usda.gov/.