BOSTON — Recent research from climate central shows Boston‘s planting zone is warming, part of a national trend that will impact what we grow and where.
Since 1951, Boston has been in planting zone 7a, but the winters here are warming. Our coldest annual temperatures have risen by nearly 3 degrees since 1980. If warming trends continue, we could shift into zone 7b by 2036, nearly 10 degrees warmer than where we are now.
That shift threatens native plants like sugar maples and birch trees, trees that rely on deep winter chill.
Warmer winters are already bringing flora farther north like kudzu, and eventually, we could be looking at new plants that formerly couldn’t survive here, like fig trees. But it also means more pests and fewer freeze days.
And it’s not just Boston.
Warming zones are accelerating across the entire country. Parts of Texas, the southeast and the Pacific northwest have already shifted by a full zone or more.
Experts say gardeners should plan with the future in mind, because the climate you’re planting for today may not be the one you see in 10 years.
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