Do you have zone envy?

I have always dreamed of living in a tropical zone. Even a subtropical zone would be great.

I know from experience in communicating with those that grow tropical plants, most are 'grass is greener' thinking... those in So Cal wish they lived in South Florida, those there, wish they lived in Hawaii, those in Hawaii wished they lived in northern Australia etc. But having moved down a zone, I sure miss my old one.

I voted other. I don't want a hotter zone, but would like a warmer spring and fall.

Yeah, I wish I could combine Texas spring and fall with New England summer and Mexico winter.

If I had to choose a zone, I think I would still choose the one I'm in now. I like that we don't have cold winters, we can grow vegetables year round, we have flowers in bloom year round, and the diversity of things which grow well here is quite good.

I would just like it if we didn't get quite so hot in summer (I'm told 8b and even 9b on the west coast are not as hot in summer, and thus better for roses, especially the striped or multicolor varieties). My really BIG zone envy issues revolve around a handful of my favorite flowers which will not grow or bloom here: peonies (biting back of my hand), lilac (sigh), oriental poppies, and golden rain tree. If I could get these, especially the peonies, added to my zone, I would be a most content gardener.

Put down for a moderate maritime zone. Actually, I'm already in one, but just wish it was a degree or two warmer all year round. A warm maritime zone, rather than a cool one.

Resin

I wish I lived in the Pacific Northwest. Have you seen the photos of their gardens in the Showcase? It's like Eden.

I voted "Goldilocks" -- the first one, don't know why it shows up twice on this page. There are a few things that I can't grow very well here, like watermelon, for instance. We might buy and eat one or possibly two of those per year, so why would I care to grow them even if I could?

I mostly grow veggies and herbs, so don't really care about the flowers and foliage plants that need warmer weather.

I've always day dreamed, about being able to have properties, in all the climates and ecosystems, that exist throughout the world. Whada dreamer I am.

If not for the high humidity and nighttime temps(85 deg) of mid to late summer the Mississippi Gulf Coast would be a perfect place to live. The summer heat would be tolerable and as DreamofSpring stated above we could grow more perennials that won't be dead by the end of June.

I'm with you on that, DonnaB,

Your weather and mine are very similar year round. Like you, I'm pretty happy with the growing seasons here. We can grow broccoli, collards, and a number of other vegetables all the way through 'the dead of winter'. In spring/summer, we can actually plant twice if we have the energy. As to flowers, my roses bloom until some time around Christmas and are overlapped by the camellias which bloom from Oct through March. Spring starts here in late Jan or early Feb when the bulbs start blooming. All things considered, it's a pretty great zone - if I could only get peonies to produce more than the rare single bloom or two every few years here, I would definitely go with Goldilocks. Those peonies are my one holdout.

I love the mild winters, but wish the summer heat wasn't so intense that the garden pretty much shuts down from mid-June through September.

i want to love in a dezert zone....just for the heck of it.

trackinsand, I live in central AZ and I can tell you it has its' pluses and minuses. From now thru May is the plus; June-September is the minus.

frogy, lol, i was being sarcastic! no desire to be anywhere but central florida!

I wish I had had the luck to live in the Bay Are before people loved it to death. Of course, I'd be many years dead now, but what a life!

Hi, all.

Since I started gardening , way back when we lived in Zone 5, I wished to keep exotics and tropicals. I had a bad case of zone envy. Even in the middle of summer, we didn't get enough heat or sunshine for those to thrive outside. When we moved to South Florida, in zone 10-B, it was a bad case of Hello, tropicals and exotics planted directly in the ground year-round. Now, everything grows outside without worries about zone treason. And I have lost my bad case of zone envy. For that, I am immensely thankful.

Take care, all.
Sylvain.

Trackinsand, I'm glad you were joking about the Dezert . LOL, you age about as fast as you can out there.
Sidney

I am in zone 5b now. Kind wish we lived in 7. Just for the fact of not having so harsh of winters. I've lived in Michigan my whole life. But I would not know how to garden anywhere else. I guess I am happy as "goldilocks" . Even tho I do complain about our zone lots. I see the beautiful tropicals on this site. Its really pretty hard not to have zone envy.

I'd like to live a few zones further north, where there would actually be a winter, and summer still has rain showers and thunder storms. I grew up in the hills and woods of north-west Arkansas. If there were jobs there I'd be gone in a minute. Texas is nice almost all winter, but summer starts in late March and lasts through October. July and August are too hot and dry to grow much of anything.

gardenlady123,

When you have a case of zone envy over those tropicals, here is something which might help you feel better. Many of the flowers/plants you love in your own region may not grow or bloom in those tropical areas. It's a tradeoff, and no zone gets it all. I live in a subtropical region. I can grow many things here, including some tropicals like the split leaf philodendron (houseplant) which has been growing in my yard year round for 12yrs now..

However, as I lamented in an earlier post, there are many lovely flowers which will not bloom/grow here, some due to the oppressive summer heat, others because it doesn't get cold enough here in winter. Examples include: peony, lupine, poppy (esp Oriental poppy), lilac,tulip, delphinium, lavender, & golden rain tree. Dogwoods struggle here. Raspberries don't survive here, and only a few, rare varieties of blueberry or apple varieties will produce fruit here. You can grow citrus here but not cherries. Like I said, no zone gets it all. (I get a little zone envy when I see those beautiful, pink peonies.)

I think the San Francisco Bay area has the most comprehensive zones which can grow temperate to tropicals.

Yes that is true. We do have a rather large fruitbelt here and we all enjoy the fresh fruits here. Applesare wonderful so are peaches and what not. Yes I know the plants I have are dependent on the winter and frost times. I do enjoy them lots. Thanks dreamofspring. I really do enjoh living her for the four seasons. Just sometime you know looking on here at all the beautiful things I can not grow there is some envy.

I'll stay right here. It is already freezing out the bugs warmer zones have to put up with. We did spray our cole crops a couple times this summer.
Someone mentioned watermelons. Feast your eyes on these babies. They beat anything shipped in from "warm" regions. I even grow great sweet potatoes!
It is easy to stay warm in winter here.
Not so easy to take that southern heat, I hear.
It's snowing right now.

I'm where I usually have been ,, not so much zone envy ,as gardening ability envy with me ,,
(yeah well ,) it happens ,,know you do ..

A couple memories from summer gone ..

Living in the sub-tropical wet conditions here in Hawaiian Acres , I get stressed by trying to grow rare tropicals that I used to have in the drier warmer tropical lowlands.
Johannesteijsmannia and Licuala Palms seem frozen in time here. Other Palms such as Socratea and Normanbya have just dropped dead in our cool wet winters.

I originally got this property figuring I could grow everything with the mild weather.

Watching lots of effort disappear during the wet season has caused me to change plans, and grow plants that survive flooding.

I think I loved once in a desert zone. It's been a long time ago. I remember he was an accountant. ; )

lol. Dry humour.

What do accountants look like?

It's much too wet here for any temperate or tropical plant that is flood sensitive. They must be capable of standing several weeks in saturation.
I keep many herbs in well drained pots, but anything in the landscape that needs dry winter months needs protection for the season.

An Accountant always watches their figure.

You can dress for warm and still look good.

A greenhouse is needed here, not for warmth, but for dry.

I voted "Goldilocks" as well; I like the zone I'm in. Our Winters get cold enough for LARGE quantities of winter-sowing, and for certain plants (like Lilacs) to get enough cold to give a good showing of blooms in Spring... But, we don't get inundated with too much snow so-as to break the back shoveling. Spring is Springy, Fall is cool and comfortable with a gorgeous showing of changing leaf colours... I am thankful to be able to garden in this zone.

I miss the Pacific Ocean and west coast out there but enjoy having four distinct seasons here - so I don't fit any of the categories.

North Central Texas is the only place I have gardened at. I lived in Houston and visited in other parts of the US. But don't have zone envy. I think we have a great spring here, sometimes too hot in summer, but if we plant natives, they can take it. Then the fall everything busts out with great floral display. Rarely loose any plants unless we have an unusual early freeze. Nope...North Texas suits me.

Oh and you see a double "goldielocks" choice, so those need to be added together!

This message was edited Nov 6, 2013 10:29 AM

Hawaii looks so beautiful in pics. Never been, but it looks like you get lots of rain. Thats to bad too. All the other zones look and sound wonderful too. Minnisota man you all get the coldest air ever. Then you pipe it right on down to Michigan. Lol. And it stays cold there for along time :( glad you are happy there thats all that matters.

I'd like to be in Zone 7. That's where I moved from, to Zone 6. I miss many of my favorites here, although I have made new friends with things that will grow here. Nevertheless, I wish I was in Zone 7. But you can't have everything, and I can watch my GRANDKIDS grow here, which is most important of all!!

DreamofSpring: You said: "my favorite flowers which will not grow or bloom here: peonies (biting back of my hand), lilac (sigh)," I've never had peonies that did 'really well', and now I do. I planted a variety of about 25 plants, and they are beautiful. I haven't gotten a lilac yet, but that is on my short list.

This message was edited Nov 6, 2013 12:29 PM

Oh how I do love my lilac bushes. I have a miniature one, purple. It is so loaded in the spring. Smells so good. It has grown ten fold.

when i first moved to florida from missouri, i thought i might miss lilacs but i found that between Buddleja and Vitex, i could have everything but the smell...and for an all summer bloom time too.