Living in a high mountain dessert has it’s advantages such as mild winters with little snow, but it also can limit what we can do here. Hardiness Zones have been developed to help us better understand what we can and cannot do with plants in each area of the country. When the time comes for landscaping and gardening, you will want to be familiar with which Hardiness Zone you live in. Most plants come with a label indicating what Hardiness Zones they tolerate. Generally speaking, if you buy from a local greenhouse, they will only stock the plants that will grow well in the area, but it’s always a good idea to check. Here is a video to help you further understand Hardiness Zones.
What zone are we?
Most of Park County is in zone 4-5. This means that plants that will do well here must withstand low temperatures of -15 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are interested in seeing your exact location, check out the interactive map at: https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-wyoming-usda-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php
HOw do I find plants that won’t die?
There are several resources out there that sell plants for almost all growing zones, but a few in particular specialize in providing plants, or varieties of plants, that will work well in our area. Here are a few to check out, or you can always just do a google search and you will get plenty of choices.
https://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/unique-plants
https://www.prairienursery.com/resources-and-guides/plants-and-gardening/hardiness-zones.php