Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Thursday - October 01, 2009
From: Santee, CA
Region: California
Topic: General Botany
Title: USDA Hardiness Zone of Rancho Bernardo, CA
Answered by:
QUESTION:
What plant zone is Poway, Rancho Bernardo CA?ANSWER:
We're afraid we don't know what Poway is, another smaller area of the planned community Rancho Bernardo? Anyway, let us introduce you to a super website, the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. Click on California from the two-letter abbreviations beneath the map, and you will see the zones delineated for the entire state of California. Remember, these are pretty arbitrary, there are no physical barriers between Zone 10a and Zone 10b, for example. It just makes it easier to understand what plants can and cannot live in a particular area. Look at the map of California, looking down at the southwestern corner of California, where San Diego County is, and you will see basically vertical stripes of color. When you compare those to the list of colors and Zones on the left side of the page, you will see that, in that area, the zones range from 10a to 11, with average annual minimum temperatures ranging from 30 to 40 deg. F.
More General Botany Questions
Genetics reason for color variation in Indian paintbrush
April 03, 2005 - Are the color variations in Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) a matter of genetic mutation or minerals in the soil?
I say it's genetic and the rest of the family says it's environmental.
view the full question and answer
Mechanism for Cenizo bush blooming before rain
October 04, 2006 - Why does cenizo (aka barometer bush) bloom before it rains?
view the full question and answer
Differences in prostrate Mimosa species
May 27, 2013 - There are apparently a lot of little pink puffy-flowered prostrate plants with thorny stems and sensitive leaves: Mimosa microphylla, Mimosa roemeriana, Mimosa strigillosa. How does one tell them apar...
view the full question and answer
Why plants grow in very hot or very cold areas from Edison NJ
October 06, 2013 - Why can some plants grow where very cold or very hot?
view the full question and answer
Forum for reporting rare plants
July 05, 2014 - Hi Mr. Smarty Pants,
I was wondering if there is a forum for Texans to submit sightings of native plants they find? I live in Medina County and 2 years ago had a rare native plant growing in my yard ...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |