By: Gardening Know How Show
 Click on the image above to see a larger version. About the Kansas USDA Zones for Growing PlantsIt’s important to view the USDA plant hardiness zones map for information about plant hardiness. This not only provides hardiness growing zones for all states but will also tell you the garden zones for USDA in Kansas. The above map is for the Kansas USDA zones and can be used to determine the most ideal plants for your area. By looking at the Kansas zone map above and locating the approximate area in which you live, you will be able to find your hardiness planting zone. Simply compare the zone colors on the Kansas zone map for your area with those found on the legend to the right. Due to climate changes and increasingly warmer temperatures, this map of Kansas USDA zones is based on the revised USDA in Kansas (and all other states) that was made in 2012. More and more areas are finding that warmer hardiness growing zones are moving northward. It is important to understand your Kansas zone map in order to choose the most suitable plants for your area. For areas bordering separate zones, choosing plants that tolerate cooler conditions (such as a zone lower) will oftentimes help ensure their winter survival, as those that are less hardy will require additional protection or relocation indoors. Your local nursery can provide plants that are suitable for USDA in Kansas. Keep in mind, however, that only reputable nurseries specialize in selling landscaping plants appropriate for your area’s hardiness zone and will have these clearly marked as such. In addition to these plants, non-hardy species may also be available. These, too, should be clearly marked.
I’m often asked what zone are we: referring to the USDA winter hardiness zone map. The hardiness zone map links areas together that have, on average, similar winter low temperatures. They are broken down into 10F degree intervals; 5F degrees into sub zones a & b. Most plants are given a hardiness zone rating to correspond with this mapped area. On existing maps we are in hardiness zone 5b at Powell Gardens so on average our winter low should be between -10F and -15F. Since we had -11F at our official weather station this past winter that looks right on. The only thing is–if you average our winter lows for the past 15 years we would average around -5F here. In the past 15 years we’ve been as cold as -12F and as mild as +17F; with a reading of -27F in 1989! I was just in Wichita where it allegedly got to minus 17F last winter — but at Botanica, the Wichita Gardens, I saw no or little damage to tender zone 6 plants. Clearly there is more to it than the minimum low. This Chicagoland Green Boxwood (Buxus hybrid ‘Glencoe’) is listed as hardy fully through zone 5 (-20F) but burned badly this past winter and has done the same at the Kauffman Memorial Garden in the past. It is a good example why I don’t like hardiness zones because as I get more experience under my belt I see why my mentoring professor (Robert W. Dyas) wouldn’t teach us winter hardiness zones. I followed his advice: look around and see what is doing well in a particular region, paying most attention to things that have done well for many years. This badly burned Green Bay (registered trademark) Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana ‘Green Shadow’) is supposed to stay evergreen to -20F as well but I wouldn’t call this evergreen. The plant will be fine as only the leaves are winter burned but it is not living up to its billing here. I’m glad we are here to do a lot of testing for the Greater Kansas City gardening community. I had to take a picture of our ‘Taylor’ Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei). We planted this many years ago for trial as a below zero hardy palm. It has always died back but funny thing is this one always sends up a new basal shoot every summer, only to be killed back the next winter. Sure it can survive a rare below zero event in North Carolina but not the predictable and sustained below zero weather here. You could go to a lot of trouble and put winter protection around a plant like this and it might survive better. Our Bracken’s Brown Beauty Southern Magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora) are living up to their name: brown. At least that’s the way they look from their southern side where the leaves were winter burned (consistently the most burned of our hardy southern magnolias each year). Evergreen shrub China Girl Hollies are fine at its base. The same Bracken’s Brown Beauty Magnolia is green on its shady side where the leaves weren’t burned by the abrupt change in temperatures caused by the sun’s warmth after our bitter cold. So our hardiness zone depends on how you look at it. Gardeners I have talked to say local lows ranged from the single digits below zero in the city’s heat island and wooded hilltop gardens like my own, while it was a sustained -15F below in low and outlying regions where cold air settled–a difference of more than 10 degrees across the region largely due to microclimates. Where does your garden sit? A visit to Powell Gardens will show you what does well here and what was disheveled by this colder-than-average winter. Very few things were killed by last winter but we plant things accordingly: plant more tender plants in sheltered microclimates and the tough ones in low, open places. Gardener common sense.
The direct answer to this question is zone 6 out of the 13 zones. However, before we detail the Kansas City Hardiness zone, let us briefly describe what a hardiness zone is and why it is essential. What Hardiness Zone is Kansas City Mo In: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones
A hardiness zone map is a standard guide developed by the United States Department of Agriculture. The map divides different areas of the country into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones based on the average minimum winter temperature. Typically, the lower the zone number, the lower the temperatures in the zone. Therefore zone 1 is the coldest, whereas zone 13 is the hottest. This information is vital to growers and gardeners as it helps them identify plants that are most likely to thrive in their area. Hardiness zones are subject to change. Currently, trends indicate that hardiness zones in the U. S. are moving towards the north at 13 miles every decade. This means that the average minimum temperatures in winter shift by half a zone warmer since the last review in 1990. Difference between plant hardiness zones and climate zones.Both hardiness zones and climate zones geographically divide areas according to the climate. However, hardiness zones help in determining where certain plants will thrive. On the other hand, climate zones divide the earth according to climate, average temperature, vegetation, and air pressure. These four main zones are; temperate, tropical, subtropical, and arctic. Related article: When to plant tomatoes in Missouri Kansas City Hardiness Zone
Kansas City is known to experience pretty warm temperatures in the summer and lows of up to 0 to 10 degrees in the winter. Although the area is considered zone 6, some gardeners and horticulturists remain somewhat reserved on the type of plants to go for and prefer to work with zone 5 plants instead. There is an undeniable controversy over whether Kansas City lies on either zone 5 or 6, causing a disparity between the USDA map and current maps such as the Arbor Day Foundation map. The differences are attributed to the age of data used; the USDA still uses decades of data, whereas today’s mappers use more short-term and recent data. Additionally, winters in the area appear to grow colder, pushing Kansas City closer and closer to zone 5. The weather also takes a swift shift from hot to cold-causing wild transitions in temperature, which often results in winter plant damage in the area. This means farmers and gardeners have a lot of homework to do with regard to identifying resilient plants to withstand swift changes. Kansas City’s weather
Kansas City weather is pretty interesting, of course, thanks to how fast things change. The area boasts as one of the most comfortable places in Missouri, with its comfort index approximated to stand at 7.2 (not too far from the best index, which is 10). The most pleasant months in the area are during May, June, and September, whereas the least comfortable ones are January and December. It is also worth noting that Kansas City attains its highest temperatures (around 89 degrees) at the peak of summer in July and winter lows of about 20 degrees at the beginning of each year in January, mainly in the nighttime. The temperatures in this area can remain at a maximum of up to 33 days annually. Although not often, highs of 90 degrees have been recorded severally, making KC warmer than most places in Missouri. The city experiences precipitation- rain, snow, hails, or sleet- for approximately 98 days annually. The average rainfall reaches about 42 inches per year and 15 inches of snow per year. In comparison, the US average for rain and snow is 38 and 28 inches, respectively. Most of the year is filled with sunny days- up to 215 days. Kansas City tends to be uncomfortably humid at times, especially during the summer. Fortunately, humidity( amount of water vapor in the atmosphere) is low most of the time, and the three most humid months are July (the most humid), August, and June. What Hardiness Zone is Kansas City Mo In: ConclusionLike most other parts of the world, Kansas City’s climate is most likely to change over time. Over the years, the increased temperatures, extended periods of drought, and frequent flooding continue to be the evidence of a change we are not prepared for. The weather patterns will not remain the same, and perhaps decades from now, the city will land in an entirely different zone. Thus, the answer, “What Hardiness Zone is Kansas City Mo In?” may not stay the same for too long. |
What growing zone is kansas city
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