Seriously, I'd been feeling the shift all along but thought it was mostly a lack of hormones.....
What about you? Are your extreme minimum temperatures higher than previously projected? This could mean some expensive errors at the nursery for ahem!, caff!, some of us. (And no, Virginia, the new projections are not reflective of global climate disruption. They are rather the results of better computer models based upon more specific information made available since the last zone maps released in 1990.)
I looked at the map as well and couldn't quite tell if "we" (in Austin) are still in 8b or if we're now in 9a. But you're right (hormones aside), there's definitely been a shift.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I found this old post on a blog I didnt realize you had! Right-on about the cause of the new projections...better models, more careful mapping, more data points for long enough of a time. The old maps were really bad in the west with huge changes in elevation (low valleys, mile-high+ mountains, etc).
ReplyDeleteIf only they would use colors that are easier to discern zones, instead of such subtle gradations.
Hi DC! I blended these garden posts into what I was doing on austinagrodolce about a year ago. Those subtle gradations caused at least one new set of squint-wrinkles. I'm with you - I'd like some bolder colors zone to zone!
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