Friends of the Arboretum Lecture

Rescheduled for January 13, 2022

"The Colorful History of America's Plant Hardiness Zones, Including Our Zone 7(b)"
Thomas Packer, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer of Wake County

  • Thursday, September 23, 2021 – 7:30 pm9:00 pm

This lecture has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 13, 2022.

How the United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones came to be, what they mean, and why they are still in use almost 100 years after the first plant hardiness maps were developed. The presentation will include a review of early colorful, hand drawn maps from the archives of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University as well as the latest computer-generated maps from the USDA.

early hardiness zone map of the United States and Canada (with most of Canada cropped)

Tom Parker

About Tom Packer

Tom Packer is a longtime backyard farmer, citizen scientist, certified Master Gardener volunteer from Wake County, and a winner of the program's Diamond in the Rough award as outstanding member of the program's most recent class. Tom has helped anchor the program's gardening helpline, fielding calls and e-mails from gardeners on a variety of horticultural issues. He also is a moderator of the Facebook group Gardening Carolina for North and South Carolina, a volunteer at the JC Raulston Arboretum, a member of the Gardeners of Wake County club, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Raleigh, and obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of California.

Cost
In person: free for members and Friends of the JC Raulston Arboretum members, otherwise $5.00.
Online: free.
Registration
Advance registration is not available. Check-in available at the door.
Location
Online and in person at the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Directions
Need directions? Click here.
Parking
Free parking is available at the JC Raulston Arboretum and along Beryl Road.
Questions
Please write jcraprograms@ncsu.edu for more information about this lecture.