Plant zones, or growing zones, are important if you’re gardening real plants outdoors. If you’ve ever noticed plant tags or labels highlighting a zone, such as ‘Zone 6’ or ‘Zone 5-8’, this is an identification that outlines where the plant grows best.
Do you know what growing zone your garden is in – don’t worry if you don’t know your growing zone. Most don’t. That said, knowing your zone is crucial when it comes to selecting plants and greenery. If you want a plant that does not grow in your zone, you can do what so many gardeners do and buy premium artificial plants online. You can intermingle real and faux plants easily.
Faux plants aside, if you’re a gardener, getting to know your plant zone can be helpful. Some plants only grow well in a specific growing zone. You can better maximize your success by understanding how zones work and knowing what plants are best.
How Do Plant Zones Work?
Canadian plant zones work differently from USDA plant zones. The USDA system works on temperatures only while the Canadian system works on minimum temperature, rainfall, frost, and other variables. ‘0’ is the coldest and ‘9’ is the warmest. So, for example, if a plant is suitable for zones 4-9, this means a plant will likely not survive temperatures in a zone 4 or below. There are exceptions, however.
These zones are typically separated by 10 degrees of coldness. For example, Zone 5’s average minimum temperature is -20 to -15 compared to Zone 6 which is -10 to -5. This is particularly important when it comes to bulbs as bulbs require being able to handle cold winter temperatures. as well as the blistering heat that can come during summer.
Needless to say, a set of realistic faux plants are a lot easier to take care of and have no limits around zones.
Every state/province has a mix of plant zones. The best way to learn your plant zone is to look up your municipality online. From there, you will have a better sense of what is most likely to grow successfully in a garden based on the climate and conditions of your geographic area.
What Other Factors Can Play Into Your Garden
Unfortunately, there is a lot that goes into whether a plant grows and to what extent. Even if a gardener gets the zone right, unless it’s a fake plant, you can still run into any of the following situations which can prove problematic for a garden.
- Too much rainfall can cause too much moisture and lead to root rot.
- Too little rainfall can cause the soil to dry out and some plants may find it difficult to grow.
- Too much sun can dry out the ground and reduce moisture around your plants.
- If the soil doesn’t drain very effectively, it could cause the roots or the bulbs to rot in the soil.
There are dozens of factors that go into gardening, some which can be controlled and others which can’t.
At Artiplanto.com, we are gardeners ourselves. We love plants! We know how hard it can be to take care of them. That’s why we offer premium artificial plants that look real, feel real, and can be blended into anyone’s garden or home décor aesthetic. Check them out!
