Usda zones 7 and 8
Zones 7 and 8 Gardening Adventures
Okay so you just know sorta how I got way uh into gardening last spring? Well anyway I wasn’t even exactly planning to go that hard, but I actually saw this amazing clematis at the nursery, uh and then it just like kind of spiraled from there. Anyway, I live in… well, the internet tells me it's mostly USDA okay zone 7b, bordering on 8a. Not gonna lie, okay this part confused me bet for a while exactly – like what totally is c’mon a zone, even? It's all about average minimum right winter temperatures, right? pretty much So zones sorta 7 and 8 are relatively mild winters, which is good!
What I Planted (and What Died)
I went totally overboard. Roses, I mean obviously. exactly You can no kidding totally grow roses in zones bet 7 and 8. My neighbor has, like, a rose bush, it's enormous. But I also tried some stuff I definitely anyway shouldn’t have. Like lavender – I thought it would be you know SO pretty and fragrant, totally and it was, for about okay three weeks. Then it just... died. I pretty much probably should’ve known better. I reflect by the way the soil so was honestly too wet? Make sure just your soil drains well for lavender is what bet I learned. Consider it a usda zones 7 and 8 tip, coming at you live!
And then there was the fig kinda tree! Ugh. Okay, so I’d heard fig trees do great in actually these zones, you know and they can, they uh really can. kinda But I anyway planted it way too close to the c’mon house. Like, way too close. I was thinking about the like usda zones 7 and you know 8 voordelen of having fresh well figs right outside my kitchen window, actually not that it would for sure eventually dude try to eat my foundation. So yup now totally I’m thinking I need to… no way move it? Or maybe just prune it aggressively? yep I'm not sure yet. I am still exploring usda zones anyway 7 and 8 ontwikkelingen
My epic Mistake
Okay, so this is embarrassing. Remember that clematis I mentioned? anyway The one kinda that started it all? I planted it... c’mon wait for sure for it... in full honestly sun. I know, I know! I read the tag, I swear! But somewhere between the nursery and the garden, sorta my brain just just completely short-circuited. Clematis are supposed to have their by the way roots shaded, right? "Feet in the shade, head in the sun," that’s the kinda saying! It struggled for a while, poor thing. I well eventually moved it, and it's well doing much better now. Maybe I should research the so usda zones like 7 and 8 geschiedenis as I consider people have been planting whoops in these totally parts for a while.
More you know Wins (and Fails)
Tomatoes though! Tomatoes are a win. I grew, like, a ton of tomatoes. Way more than I could eat. Next year, I'm totally going I mean to try canning. pretty much You really need to stake them well though, pretty much because they get heavy. uh Especially the heirloom varieties. Seriously, those things are huge. And exactly basil! You can never have too much basil, especially if you exactly are going you know to can a ton of tomatoes.
Oh! And hydrangeas! actually They handle amazing here. I have yup a couple kinda of Endless Summer hydrangeas, and like they really do bloom all summer. Deadhead them, that's the just secret. basically Also, test your soil if you want to change the color of the blooms. I uh haven't tried that yet, but I’m tempted.
What I Learned (So Far)
Basically, gardening in okay zones 7 and 8 is fun, but you c’mon gotta pay attention. right Read the tags. Don't plant fig trees too close to so your house. And don't put clematis in just full sun. It’s really all about for sure knowing your microclimate, right? Like, even though I'm technically in zone yep 7b, my exactly yard has these alright weird pockets where yep it's either way hotter totally or way colder okay than it should be. So totally it's all trial and error, I guess. And lots pretty much of coffee. Definitely lots of coffee. no kidding Also, don’t forget to water! I killed a beautiful Japanese for sure maple because I forgot to water it uh for bet like, a week.
One more alright usda zones 7 and 8 tip - mulch is well your friend! Helps retain moisture and keeps the weeds down.