The U.S. Department of Agriculture updated the Plant Hardiness Zone Map this past November. The map is widely used by gardeners, landscapers, and farmers in determining which plants will grow best in their particular area. Paired with Heinen’s own Online Plant Catalog, homeowners have great tools to get growing this spring!
The recent update was the first to the Hardiness Zone Map in 11 years. The new and improved interactive map has a more sophisticated algorithm than the former map and includes new data pulled from more individual weather monitoring stations across the country – 13,412 to be exact, compared to 7,983 stations in 2012. The new, more robust information allows the map to present a more accurate depiction of microclimates across the United States.
Click here to view the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
The map is divided into 12 zones, which are themselves divided into half zones. A zone is determined by the 30-year average of the lowest winter temperatures recorded each year. The new map shows that most of Kansas and Missouri have become a half zone warmer. Even the Kansas City metropolitan area includes slight variations in half zones, giving homeowners a clear understanding of what plantings will thrive best on their property.
The shift in half zones gives homeowners the opportunity to incorporate new plantings into their landscaping. The landscape professionals at Heinen use the Plant Hardiness Zone Map when exploring and selecting plant choices as they design client landscape plans.
Heinen Landscape has built another handy online tool that allows homeowners to search and view plants best suited to the climate in Kansas City. Heinen’s Online Plant Catalog is free to use and features almost 200 varieties of plants complete with photos and descriptions of each plant. The plant catalog can also be sorted by various criteria to help guide individual landscaping choices for a property – criteria such as plant blooming season, sun/shade preference, type of plant (flower, shrub, tree, etc) and much more. Paired with the new Hardiness Zone Map, homeowners have powerful tools to explore home planting possibilities!
