Back in March, I posted a piece here titled New US hardiness zone map launches soon!! Well, it hasn't launched yet, I'm sad to say, but in the current issue of the RHS magazine The Plantsman there are two articles which explore the whole issue of hardiness and hardiness ratings in more detail.

The first is by Scottish plantsman and rhododendron guru Kenneth Cox entitled Evaluating Plant Hardiness. The second is by me and is entitled An International Perspective on Hardiness Ratings. Click each title and the article will appear in a new window

As our climate continues to change, as horticulture becomes more internationally connected, and as gardeners become ever more eager to stretch the limits of what they grow, plant hardiness and how to make clear to gardeners which plants are hardy in which areas becomes an ever more important issue. These two articles make an interesting contribution to the continuing debate.