Winter..

97/98: -1F

98/99: -13F

99/00: -3F

00/01: -8F

01/02: +5F

02/03: -7F

03/04: -9F

04/05: El Nino~ Mild

So despite one winter of -13F, we mainly fall into Z6. According to the 2003 Zone Hardiness Map, Chicago is in fact a Z6 as well.
So, lets all update our zone and of corse what we can grow!

Thanks,
Pat

No matter--I'm considering my yard mostly a 6 anyhow.

BTW I can grow almost any "zone 6" perennial in Ann Arbor MI, officially zone 5b. And some zone 7s too. It's those zone 6 woody plants that are harder.

http://www.arborday.org/media/zones.cfm

Again, Chicago and much of the area is a zone 6.

Pat

Select "ILLINOIS" in the top right.

Rick

Frost does not touch down as readily when the garden is near a large body of water...and Lake Michigan I think can be considered a large body. Inland, the frost is more likely to touch down and for this reason steps are taken to protect plants where lakeside gardens are not so affected.

So, you could state that lakeside gardens are in zone 6...inland in zone 5.
When buying plants, it is best to recognize where the hardiness zones are. Nurseries I'm sure all declare the Chicago area as being in zone 5 and for that reason, sell only those plants that are hardy to zone 5.

I hope people rejoicing with the climate change are just joking.

Lake Michigan isn't the only thing influencing Chicago's climate. The city itself and the heat island that it creates moderates temps all the way back into the suburbs.

"I hope people rejoicing with the climate change are just joking."
Could you please elaborate on that? Climate change is in fact taking place, it's not a joke. I hope you can notice the lack of blizzards/snow storms and -20F degree mornings that were to commonly happen here years ago. And we are talking about actual temperature zones here not widnchill. There is windchill everywhere, not just in Chicago.

Pat

Pat

The real joke is someone using anecdotal evidence to try to prove dubious conclusions, but this isn't the place for this discussion.

Zone 5 or 6 or warming weather does not help if there is no snow on the ground...... or I wouldn't have lost all my Crocosmia 'Lucifer' or many other marginally hardy plants to zone 5 these past few winters........and I live mid way between O'Hare & the lake.

Global warming is real, scientifically proven, and unfortunate, IMO. It is probably also a natural phenomena, but we are driving it forward faster than normal. I don't think we should be helping it along, if at all possible. Natural global warming usually goes along at a snail's pace..giving plants and animals (and people!) time to adapt to the change. Speed it up a lot and what you got is trouble. IMO. April

I live in Ann Arbor, so we pretty much get your weather about 12 hours after you. For Christmas I got one of those indoor/outdoor wireless thermometer setups. Here are some daily max. temp. readings for 2005: Jan 1, 42; Jan 2, 50; Jan 3, 37; Jan 5, 37, Jan 10, 37, Jan 13, 52. What is this about a high of 26 being just about the warmest day of the year so far?

WPalm033,

According to The Weather Channel's data at their website, the all-time recorded low for Chicago is -24. The last time -20 was "common" was during the last ice age.

A.J.

The causes of Ice Ages may be interstellar dust, but the evidence is clear.

You drill a core down into a glacier, and count the rings just like with a tree.

The layers of ice show that an Ice Age can last eons. But occasionally there's a break called an Interregnum.

These breaks last about 10,000 years. The one we're in started 10,000 years ago...

So, we should be heading BACK into an Ice Age. Getting colder. Glaciers building up, creeping down from the mountains in Canada. The Great Lakes freezing over even in summer...

So, if it wasn't for the Internal Combustion engine, the world would be getting COLDER by the minute.

Bring on Global Warming !

I'd love to move to Arizona, but it gets too hot in the summer. And I like having 4 seasons..I love snow. The more of it, the better. Just can't stand the bitter cold. April

I'm in a pocket of Mi recognized to be in zone 6 and I've measured only a handful of nights (in the past two years) here where our temperature even counts as low as zone six.

~Chills

Kyle

I've failed to overwinter a musa basjoo as well (I also blame the winter wet), but I have an unprotected fig ('Hardy Chicago') that's fully root hardy and have managed to limp a zone 7 plant through winter once or twice, and I have a few things that I see listed as zone 6 plants that seem content.

Also, has anyone ever successfully grown Monkey Puzzle Trees or Windmill Palms. I'm attempting them in SE MI and figured that if they've made it through a Chicago Winter, they may make it here too!

Granted, I've lived here most of my live, and i have to agree with the thread started that winters are NOT what they were when I was a kid... or even when my kids were small....and after this unseasonably warm winter we've been having (thought it was barely 20 today) ... I'm still a 5 in DuPage county. (though i am close to the border of a 6... i will consider myself a 5)

I don't mulch, so my plants have to survive most of the winter with no snow covering, then multiple thaw/freeze cycles in the spring.

Some one mentioned Crocosmia 'Lucifer' above, I've received this in trades several times, planted it in several locations, never mulched it .... it never survives. :o(

So, I'm zone 6a for those that want to mulch, zone 5 for the lazy non-mulching gardeners.

too~

When I lived in DuPage County, I never planted any shrubs/trees that weren't hardy to zone 4 because you never know. My dad lost a beautiful crab tree that winter.