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What is a Hardiness Zone and what is the USDA Hardiness Zone in the local Ozzie's area?
The USDA has created a map which depicts "Hardiness Zones" based on the average minimum annual temperature for different regions of the United States. Plants are categorized according to these Hardiness Zones to assist gardeners in determining which perennial plants, trees and shrubs will typically survive from year to year in a given area. The ratings are from 1 to 11, one being the coldest and eleven being the warmest. Most of northern Illinois, including all of Dekalb County, is rated "5a". The "a" section of any zone is the colder part of that zone and the "b" section is the warmer part of the zone.
Since the local Ozzie's area is rated "5a", we are located in the colder region of Hardiness Zone 5. However, in Ozzie's experience, plants considered hardy for Zone 5 sometimes struggle to last through the winter despite our official zone 5 rating; therefore, Ozzie's recommends plants rated no higher than zone 4 for our area.
You may find that certain plant varieties rated for your Hardiness Zone sometimes don't make it through the winter in your garden. Other factors such as snow cover, wind exposure, soil moisture and sun exposure will affect the hardiness of particular varieties in particular areas. Plants typically winter more successfully in towns where temperatures tend to stay slightly higher and wind is more diminished, for instance. Even within a garden, plants located near the house (where it will be slightly warmer and more wind protected) may winter better than more exposed locations.
Ozzie's has local experience with most of the perennials we sell and can assist you in determining whether a particular variety is truly winter hardy in our area.
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