It’s taken more than a decade, but the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has finally released an updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map that spans the nation and the territory of Puerto Rico in such detail that gardeners can now zoom right into their local areas.
  • Amamsa@beehaw.org
    2·
    11 months ago

    Apologies, i completely forgot to check my inbox! I’m not in the US and we don’t have a lot of nurseries around and nothing that focuses on native, organic plants, or caring about genetics. I was aware of the genetical issues, since i follow some nature blogs that focus on the things happening in our country, for instance the problems with importing tree seeds that seem native, but genetically they are not really, which - or so i heard - is also a problem for our insects.

    Thank you for your reply and have a great weekend

    • LallyLuckFarm@beehaw.orgM
      1·
      11 months ago

      No worries! If you’re comfortable sharing your country or region with me I’m happy to ask around in my growers groups for resources for you.

      tree seeds that seem native, but genetically they are not really

      That’s interesting… My understanding is that epigenetic selection impacts success rates (survivability) but that the plants should still be manufacturing the metabolites and exudates for which native animal species rely on them. We’ve ordered seeds from a few different bioregions and still tend to see native insects and birds making use of them, but if you recall where you read about this I’d appreciate the chance to read it.

      • Amamsa@beehaw.org
        1·
        11 months ago

        Hi, it was a long time ago, but i did a search for you and found an article. Unfortunately, it’s in dutch, but maybe you can translate it. I’m sorry, this topic is not my expertise, but i did find it quite interesting. And a bit disheartening, because this info is crucial for people who plant forests, but not for the casual gardener.

        As far as looking for resources, that’s a very kind offer, but my garden is filled to the brim! It’s not big, but very wild and i tried to plant some native shrubs that i felt were most beneficial for both insects and birds. (And since literally all birds skip the paved gardens in our neighborhood and flock to our garden to sing, to feed, to mate, to rest and to breed, i would say that we are doing something right :-)