Zone Index Description from Planting Instructions Index of Pacific West Botanicals

                            Zones 1 - 10

   Influence of the pacific ocean: Weather in the western US derives almost
exclusively from two sources. The Pcific Ocean is one of them. The more an
area is dominated by the Pacific Ocean�s weather, the moister its atmosphere in
all seasons, the milder it�s winters, the cooler it�s summers, and more it�s
rainfall is limited to fall, winter and spring.
   Influence of the continental air mass: this is the other major source of our
weather in the west. The North American continent crreates it�s own weather.
( quite different from that created by the ocean.) the further inland you live, the
more the continental air mass influences your weather, the more such influence
on area gets, the colder it�s winters, the hotter it�s summers, and the more likely
it�s precipitation to come at any time of the year.
   Mountains and Hills:
Our systems of mountains and hills act as barriers that determine whether areas
beyond them will be influenced mostly by marine air or mostly by continental air,
or, as happens in some places, by some of each. The coast range takes some of
the marine influence out of the air that passes west to east across them. The
marine influence that remains is effectively weakened or blocked altogether by
the lofty second barrier. The Sierra Cascades southern California�s interior
mountains. Beyond the Rocky Mountains, marine influence is virtually nil. Here,
arctic air plays a role in the climate. In exactly the opposite order. First the
Rockies, then the interior ranges, and then the coast range lesson or eliminate the
westward influence of the continental air mass.
   Local Terrain. The five factors mentioned above operate at all seasons. Local
terrain has it�s major effect on the cold air and frosts of fall, winter and spring.
Warm air rises, cold air sinks. Cold air flows downhill. Sloping ground will never
be quite as cold in winter as lower ground beyond. The bands of a hillside or
slope are called thermal belts. The lowlands and river bottoms into which the
cold air flows are called cold air basins. Above the thermal belt, winter air can
be so cold ( because of the elevation influence mentioned earlier ) that the
temperature is as low as in the cold air basins at the base or even lower.
   Conditons in garden or neighborhoods can create micro climates ( several factor
several hundred feet wide) in which the climate is different than the general
climate. Dense trees, fences, etc. can trap cold air and cause colder night
temperature and south facing walls can increase daytime temperature.

                                      Zones 1-10:
         Growing regions of the pacific west represented as zones.

Zone 1 Semi-tropical to tropical,Nayarit, Mexico+Hawaii 19-25 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 2 Sub-tropical coastal to seasonal dry mtn.s    25-30 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 3 Mediterranean mtn.+coastal region San Diego 30-35 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 4 Eastern high desert,+ mtns. Flagstaff - east,       30-35 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 5 Southern deserts, lower elevations, hot dry, 32-37 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 6 Mountain regions of California.                          29-39 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 7 Coastal regions of California                              35-39 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 8 Redwood region of California                             39-42 degrees n. Latitude

Zone 9 Northwest coast to foothills of Cascades.     39-49 degrees n. Latitude
Zone 10 Northeast high desert and mountains      39-49 degrees n .Latitude
                     Dry side of Cascades to Idaho