A New Map for Gardeners
Article
Photo credit: Charlie Neibergall/AP
A man looks at seed packets. There is a new map that tells where plants grow best.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Achieve3000, February 28, 2012). Most gardeners in the U.S. know about the
color-coded map of planting zones. The map is often found on the back of packets of seeds. It helps
gardeners figure out which plants will grow in their areas. Now, for the first time since 1990, the
government has updated the map. Why? The U.S. is getting warmer.
The new Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) divides the U.S. into 13 zones. The zones are based on
climate. Each zone is a different color. The color shows the average coldest temperature for that zone. Zone
1 is the coldest. Zone 13 is the hottest.
The government used new climate mapping technology to create the map. It also used 30 years of weather
data. Some of this data wasn't included in making the old map. The new map includes data about wind
direction, nearby bodies of water, and the slant of the land. All these things can change temperatures. In
addition, the new map has an interactive Web site. Gardeners enter their ZIP code. Then they're told the
average coldest temperature where they live.
The new map came out on January 25, 2012. It shows that the U.S. is warmer. The coldest day of the year
isn't as cold as it used to be. Some plants can now grow farther north.
The 1990 map used temperatures from 1974 to 1986. The new map included data from 1976 to 2005. The
1990 map key listed 34 cities. Of these, 18 are in warmer zones on the new map. Some states are almost
entirely in warmer zones. These include Ohio, Nebraska, and Texas. Why the change? Many scientists say
it's because the whole world getting warmer (global warming). Others say it's due to natural climate cycles.
No matter what caused the changes, the warmer weather makes a difference. They help gardeners decide
what to plant.
"It is great that the [U.S.] government is catching up with what the [gardeners] themselves have known for
years now. The [world] is warming. And it is [having a big effect on] plants…," said Terry Root. He is a
professor at Stanford University.
The new map came out too late for the 2012 seed packets. It will be on the packets that are sold in 2013,
said George Ball. Ball is head of a seed company that puts the maps on packages. Still, Ball said that many
of his customers already know what they can grow in their areas.
"Climate change, which has been in the air for a long time, is not big news to gardeners," Ball said.
Vaughn Speer is an 87-year-old master gardener. He lives in Ames, Iowa. Speer said he has seen redbud
trees grow a little farther north in the last few years.
A New Map for Gardeners
"They always said redbuds don't go [north of] U.S. Highway 30," Speer said. He was speaking of a highway
that crosses the U.S. on an east-west route. It stretches from New Jersey to Oregon. "But I'm seeing them
near Roland, [Iowa]." Roland is 10 miles north.
"People who grow plants [know] that temperatures have gotten [warmer] throughout the year, particularly
in the wintertime," said Richard Primack. He is a Boston University professor.
The giant fig tree in Primack's Boston yard is an example. "People don't think of figs as a crop you can
grow in the Boston area. You can do it now. There [are] a lot of things you can grow now that you couldn't
grow before."
Information for this story came from AP.
Dictionary
data (noun) information; facts
hardiness (noun) when something is strong enough to live through hard times, such as a cold winter
interactive (adjective) having to do with a computer tool that can take information or orders from a
person
technology (noun) new tools that often work by using computers
university (noun) a school that some people go to after high school
arable (adjective) suitable for crop production
pastoral (adjective) rural; relating to the countryside
1.
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Based on the article, which fits best in the empty box above?
Gardeners can use a new interactive Web site.
Data shows that the U.S. is getting warmer.
A fig tree is growing in one man's yard in Boston.
The new map will be on seed packets in 2013.
2. The article talks mainly about __________.
A change to the map on the back of seed packets
An 87-year-old master gardener in Iowa
The possible reasons for warmer temperatures
The head of a seed company that puts maps on packages
3. Which is the closest synonym for the word hardiness?
Weariness
Toughness
Weakness
Tightness
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4. According to the article, the reader can tell that __________.
Gardeners are upset about the upcoming changes to the PHZM.
Richard Primack wasn't surprised by the changes to the PHZM.
George Ball wants to take planting zone maps off of seed packages.
Most scientists think that the U.S. will start to get cooler by 2015.
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5. Which question is not answered by the article?
How did Vaughn Speer get his start in gardening?
What kind of tree grows in Richard Primack's yard?
How many zones is the U.S. divided into on the PHZM?
When did the newly updated PHZM come out?
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6. The article states:
Now, for the first time since 1990, the government has updated the map.
Look at the sentence above and think about the article. Which would be the closest synonym for the
word updated?
Changed
Removed
Ruined
Colored
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7. Based on the article, which is most likely to happen?
Vaughn Speer will move north from Ames to Roland, Iowa.
Some gardeners will think about the new PHZM when choosing seeds.
Richard Primack will move the fig tree from his yard to a warmer location.
Scientists will ask the government not to update the PHZM again.
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8. Which passage from the article best supports the opinion that gardeners learn from their experiences
working with plants?
Gardeners enter their ZIP code. Then they're told the average coldest temperature where they live.
"It is great that the [U.S.] government is catching up with what the [gardeners] themselves have
known for years now."
[A planting zone map] helps gardeners figure out which plants will grow in their areas.
Most gardeners in the U.S. know about the color-coded map of planting zones.
1. Peter buys 22 packets of tomato seeds. Each packet contains 58 seeds. Choose the best estimate of how
many tomato seeds he has in all.
1,800 tomato seeds
1,500 tomato seeds
1,000 tomato seeds
1,200 tomato seeds
1. According to the article, why have some plants been able to survive farther north in recent years than was
possible in the past?
Construction in urban neighborhoods has increased in the past 30 years, causing the land to be
more easily cultivated than land in pastoral areas.
Utilizing sophisticated climate mapping technology, scientists have discovered that land adjacent
to large bodies of water is warmer than land in urban developments.
Temperature ratings on the back of seed packets have become more accurate with the revision of
the PHZM, helping gardeners to better select which seeds will survive.
Meteorological data culled from 1976 to 2005 shows that national average temperatures have
warmed by two-thirds of a degree, making land more arable.
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2. What is this article mainly about?
The U.S. average temperatures from 1976 to 2005 were two-thirds of a degree higher than they
were during a previous time period, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
The Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which divides the U.S. into 13 zones that are based on 10-degree
temperature increments, will not appear on seed packets until 2013.
The USDA revised the Plant Hardiness Zone Map using data from 1976 to 2005, and the new
map reflects hotter temperatures across the country.
The USDA used sophisticated climate mapping technology and meteorological data to create a
Web-friendly interactive weather map.
3. Which is the closest synonym for the word arable?
Fertile
Dehydrated
Pliable
Desolate
4. The reader can infer from the article that __________.
Although the majority of scientists attribute warmer U.S. temperatures to global warming, veteran
gardeners likely attribute the temperatures to natural climate cycles.
Veteran gardeners are more likely to rely on their own experience and observations than to utilize
the PHZM as a planting guide.
Inexperienced gardeners seldom consult the Plant Hardiness Zone Map before determining which
plants are likely to survive in their climate.
Inexperienced gardeners will most likely relocate to the states that were mapped in warmer zones
on the revised Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
5. The news article says all of the following except __________.
The USDA utilized sophisticated technology and 30 years of meteorological data to revise the
PHZM and create an interactive Web site that gives users the average coldest temperature for their zip code.
The revised Plant Hardiness Zone Map carves the U.S. into 13 zones based on 10-degree
temperature increments and then subdivides the zones based on 5-degree increments.
Richard Primack's fig tree can no longer endure in the climate near his suburban Boston residence
because of the way temperatures have gone up in the last 30 years.
Vaughn Speer has seen redbud trees, one of the earliest blooming trees, north of U.S. Highway
30, which is farther north than people thought the trees would grow.
6. The article states:
Most amateur planters in the U.S. know that they can peruse the color-coded map of planting
zones on the back of their packets of seeds to help them determine which plants can survive
where they live.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word peruse?
Scrutinize
Synthesize
Tabulate
Transcribe
7. Based on information in the article, the reader can predict that __________.
Gardeners who received their 2012 seed packets without the revised PHZM will receive
compensation from the USDA to make up for the delay in the map's release.
Officials at the USDA will question the accuracy of the revised Plant Hardiness Zone Map that
divides the U.S. into 13 zones.
Seed companies will request that the Department of Agriculture revise the new planting zone map
prior to its placement on seed packets in 2013.
Starting in 2013, inexperienced gardeners will scrutinize the revised Plant Hardiness Zone Maps
and modify their seed selections based on the new zones.
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8. Look at these passages from the article. Which best supports the idea that veteran gardeners do not rely on
research data to determine which plants can survive in their area?
The new guide, which was unveiled on January 25, 2012, at the National Arboretum and arrived
just as many home gardeners were receiving their seed catalogs and dreaming of lush flower beds in the
spring, reflects a new reality….
The changes came too late to make it onto the 2012 seed packets, but they will be on the packets
that are sold in 2013, said George Ball…Still, Ball said that many of his customers already know how their
climate has warmed and what they can grow in it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) new Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) carves
up the U.S. into 13 zones based on 10-degree temperature increments, and it then subdivides the zones based
on 5-degree increments.
The USDA used sophisticated climate mapping technology and 30 years of meteorological data
to create the updated map, which includes more details than the previous map, such as prevailing winds, the
presence of nearby bodies of water, the slope of the land, and the way cities are hotter than suburbs and
pastoral areas.
This is a map. Maps are tools that show where things are located in an area. The map below shows the new
planting zones in the U.S.:
Click here to make this bigger.
Look at the map. About how many planting zones are there in Florida? (Florida is right
above Puerto Rico on the map). How cold can it get in Florida?
Now look at Colorado. How many planting zones are there? What are the high and cold
zones? What zone is Colorado Springs? How might the greenhouse help us stretch our
planting zone? Explain your thinking and add details to your answer.
Write your answer in your spiral notebook. Remember to add the title and date.