The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently released a new "plant hardiness zone map" that shows some areas of Western New York can now be considered a zone warmer, for planting purposes.
Read Charity Vogel's complete story here.
The USDA describes the map as follows:
"The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones."
Below, from the USDA's map website, is a look at New York:
Find the hardiness zone for your specific area by punching in your ZIP code:
http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/Default.aspx
Here is an interactive map featuring the entire nation, again courtesy of the USDA:
http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx
