Minnesota plant lovers are excited about a new change from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
While most of the state has traditionally been limited to plants that could only grow and survive winter in the colder zones 3 and 4, the department has updated its hardiness zone map for the first time in a decade.
"Now, when we start to move zones up and down, it's very likely that we'll end up with some plants that will grow in our zone that did not grow there before," says President of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association Randy Berg.
New zones aside, plant hardiness is fickle and conditions can vary widely within the same zone according to Berg.
The change also dares to bring a coveted zone 5 further north into the state, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to grow any palm trees in your backyard just yet.
Berg says it's always best to check with a professional before making a big investment.
"Plant hardiness is funny because you can get by a couple of seasons, some years, with weather conditions with plants that really won't grow here for the long haul," says Berg. "So you've got to be a bit careful. As we know, everything's expensive these days including plants, so that advice is crucial."
For years, Minnesota has been a zone 3 and 4 state for plant hardiness. The updated map shows a larger portion of the state in zone 4, including bringing that zone 5 further north into the state.
The USDA bases their plant hardiness zones based on the potential extreme temperatures associated with a region. Minnesota is warming based on research by the University of Minnesota. The average annual temperature across the state has increased nearly 3 degrees (F) since the late 1800s, with Minnesota outpacing the average rate of warming globally.
The warming has also accelerated in recent years, with the warming rate between 1980 and 2010 greater than between 1950 and 2010.
Although Minnesota is famous for frigid winters, they are not as cold as they used to be. From 1944 to 1993, 44 out of 50 winters in Minnesota registered -40 (F) at some point, but from 1995 to 2017, only 13 out of 22 winters reached the same temperature according to tracking by the MN DNR.
The same research says Minnesota will continue to warm, and that means longer growing seasons.