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Climate Change and Wisconsin Gardening

Collaborators: David Lorenz, Dan Vimont

Funding: Wisconsin Focus on Energy, UW-Madison Nelson Institute

Publications:
Notaro, M., D. Lorenz, and D. Vimont, 2010: 21st century Wisconsin gardening – Transformed by climate change.
Wisconsin Natural Resources, August 2010, 17-19.

Methods: Using statistically downscaled climate projections for Wisconsin, we develop projections of plant hardiness zone distribution for Wisconsin for the mid- and late-21st century and identify which perennial plants might grow well in Wisconsin gardens for those periods.

Key finding: The plant hardiness zones are likely to shift dramatically northward during this century. By the end of the century, perennial plants typical of the southern states might be found in gardens across southeast Wisconsin.

Based on WICCI downscaled data for minimum temperatures, a significant northward shift in plant hardiness zones is projected this century, resulting in a substantial change in the types of perennial plants that may be grown in Wisconsin gardens.