To determine which plants will thrive in Pennsylvania based on temperature, which map should you consult?

• A. plant hardiness zone map
• B. Farmers' Almanac
• C. Pennsylvania Growers' Association websites
• D. The Pennsylvania Soil and Plant Amendment Regulatory Program

Answer: (A)

Determining which plants will survive Pennsylvania winters hinges on understanding cold tolerance and using a map that shows how cold different areas get in winter. The plant hardiness zone map does exactly that: it divides regions by average minimum winter temperatures, assigning zones that indicate how cold a plant can reliably tolerate. By matching a plant’s hardy rating to the zone where you garden, you can predict which perennials, shrubs, and trees are likely to thrive year after year in Pennsylvania’s varying winter conditions. Other resources may offer planting dates or general weather trends, but they don’t provide the standardized temperature tolerance needed to judge winter survivability.