Zone envy

It's sacrilege to whine about Minnesota's climate limitations after the spring we've had this year, so I won't do it.

I'll just say that, as a gardener, one can't help noticing the difference between our gardens and others when traveling, especially in springtime.

I spent the weekend in New York City -- not exactly a tropical oasis, but it's Zone 6 b, which is noticeably more plant-friendly in April than Zone 4 Minnesota, even in an atypical year.

Yes, our azaleas bloomed early this year, with bursts of beautiful pink blossoms dotting the landscape. But New York yards were ablaze with blooms in a riot of colors, from deepest magenta to neon pink to apriot and magenta.

I've seen some beautiful wisteria here over the years. But there, tree branches were already drooping under the weight of them, with huge clusters of purple blossoms.

The Japanese maples were truly amazing. Here, I know a few lucky souls who have had luck with some hardy varieties, especially people living in the new Zone 5 microclimate, an urban heat island identified in the USDA's recent zone map update. But Japanese maples tend to stay small and modest here, while I saw huge burgundy specimens all over the New York metro area.

I've lived here most of my life, so I'm not going to bash Minnesota. Our garden challenges only make us appreciate our growing season all the more, when we finally get to enjoy it. Now I'm even more excited dto see my peonies and clematis when they finally open, and even more eager to start planting veggies.