The Three T's of Gardening - Zone 7

Before buying your next plant or tree you should make sure it can flourish in your hardiness zone. Hardiness means a plant or tree will most likely survive in the zone's low temperature extremes. The Hardiness zone refers to the USDA plant hardiness zone map which provides average annual low temperatures that are recorded by the US weather stations. Keep in mind that many variables could affect the plant's success, such as moisture, winds and soil type.

The area covered in the USDA plant hardiness Zone 7:

Gardening zone 7 covers the middle of the US from southern Delaware, New Jersey, Long Island and Cape Cod, southeast Pennsylvania, north Georgia, southern Oklahoma, northern Texas, southern New Mexico, parts of Arizona and Nevada, southern Utah, eastern California, central Oregon and Washington and finally, southeast Alaska.

Types of plants suitable for hardiness Zone 7:

Here are just a few of the gardening choices for those planting in Zone 7. For even more choices, be sure to check out the resources I have listed in my tips and sources.

Perennials: Chasmanthium latifolium (ornamental grass), Mertiensia verginica (Virginia bluebells), Rhubarb

Shrubs: Cornus sericea (yellow twigged dogwood), Cotoneaster microphylla (Small-Leaf cotoneaster), Hydrangea arborescens (smooth hydrangea), Ilex aquifolium (English holly), Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grapeholly), Rhododendron kurume group (Kurume azalea), Taxus baccata (English yew)

Vine: Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)

Fruit trees: Prunus dulcis (All-in-one almonds), Pyrus communis (Bartlett pears), Malus bramley (Bramley's seedling apple)

Temperature - average annual low - in Zone 7:

The types of plants mentioned above are generally hardy enough to plant in Zone 7. This USDA plant hardiness zone average annual low for Zone 7 is between 0°F to 10° F or -17.8°C to -12.3° C. You should not plant any perennials, trees or shrubs that are not hardy enough to withstand the extreme temperatures of winter.

Tips for planting in hardiness Zone 7:
Put a layer of wood ashes around lilacs, roses, peonies, clematis, daffodils and vegetable gardens, which will add lime and potash to the soil. You can germinate seeds of Petunia, Portulaca, Salvia, Snapdragon and Verbena indoors since they take 8-10 weeks before they are ready to be planted.

Other things to consider, once you have verified that the plant should flourish in your gardening zone include: sun exposure, plant origin, soil types, soil drainage, soil moisture, organic content, salt tolerance, height and shape of plant, growth rate, flower, trunk and leaf characteristics, texture and color, fruit characteristics and color, and winter interest.

Growit, Arborday (the best site for tree and perennial information), Naturehills, and the US National Arboretum offer great search engines and USDA offers a hyperlinked map to assist you with selecting plants for your garden and landscaping needs based on your hardiness zone.

Sources:

Hardiness Zones, Arbor Day Foundation

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, United States National Arboretum

Landscape Plant Selector, Growit

Plant Finder, Naturehills

Zone 7 Gardening, Louisa Blogspot