Pat: I was at a meeting last month with the Asst. Director for USDA-ARS (Agricultural Research Service). I chided them about the absurb way in which the new hardiness map was being ruined (i.e. omitting 20 years of data and deleting 50% of the temperate zones). The Asst. Director was furious upon hearing this and went on to explain that they had only funded the project, which was to be completed by AHS (American Horticulture Society). As many of us already knew, this was only a publicity stunt by a former director of AHS. I view this fiasco as one of the greatest disasters in American horticulture...just ahead of the ridiculous heat zone map that was also publiched by AHS. Wilmington NC would now in the same zone as Washington DC. If anything should have been changed, it should have been to double the number of zones. I guess us nurserymen should be happy as we will certainly be selling more plants to the wrong zones and having many more plants to die due to this poor zone information. Our contact at USDA-ARS assured me that any copies of the new map would be labeled as "working copies". USDA will be working to try and get this ridiculous new map corrected. I hope this helps shed some light on the new map. Everyone who agrees should email the American Horticulture Society and demand that this project be halted immediately. At 09:50 AM 6/2/2003 -0400, you wrote: >I thinkk the new maps need a redoing. The Carolinas are a mess the old map >was better. > >Pat > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > Tony Avent Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, NC 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdel.com/ phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent