Climate Zones and "Regionality"
Any shopper knows that “One Size Fits All” is almost never a perfect fit.
It is with plants as it is with clothes- there are very few plants that fit every situation. In the wild, different plant species have adapted over a long period of time to thrive in the conditions their local (native) environments provide. If those same plants were planted in a new location, with conditions substantially differing from where they are ideally suited to grow, that new environment may not be able to support the same plant population. This may seem to be a sad rule of nature, but there is something simply wonderful about different places supporting different plants. Plants have a way of defining their surroundings- giving certain places an identity that could never be achieved with “One Size Fits All”. After all, would we really want a Saguaro cactus in New England or diminutive alpine plants on the Jamaican Islands?
“Regionality” is the recognition that different places are, in fact, different. There are many variables that define a particular region. Some of these variables are the type, duration and seasonality of weather, temperature extremes, precipitation, and availability of water. Other factors include topography (mountains, valleys, deserts, plains and coasts), altitude and air movement. The many combinations of these variables produce unique climates and by association, unique environments. Temperature and moisture are the two most critical factors that determine climate. Unfortunately, delineating regions based on the combination of even just these two factors does not result in a US map split into clean cut lines. A.R.T.S.® uses the Köppen climatic classification system to distinguish regions, a system that is well-recognized by ecologists throughout the world. The National Gardening Association and popular garden centers across the United States also recognize regionality as the best guide to selecting easy-to-grow plants in your area.
Honoring this simple fact, that different places are different, A.R.T.S.® identifies the best rose varieties for you and your unique local environment. Our awarded roses are the easiest, most trouble-free roses to grow where you are because they do not need more than what you already have.
Refer to the Köppen climatic map below to identify which climate you should pay the most attention to when selecting roses for your own garden.
Click on the button for your climate region to see which roses A.R.T.S.® has recognized as your Local Artists.
For a list of all A.R.T.S.® current and former trial sites and their respective regions please see our Local Research page.