Sarina Rattler: Planting for a changing climate

Published 12:00 am Saturday, February 1, 2025

By Sarina Rattler
For the Salisbury Post

As winter lingers, you may find yourself looking ahead to spring or summer. I certainly am. Dreaming of a beach vacation makes the winter doldrums pass by just a little quicker. At the same time, I’m also thinking about what to plant this year, eagerly awaiting signs to see which trees and shrubs made it through the winter and planning ahead to budget for the upcoming year. In this article, though, I’d like to focus on one part of the planning process: planting for a changing climate.

While we can’t predict the future, one thing that we can count on when planting for a changing climate is the need for resiliency. When considering long-term additions to a garden, like trees, one of the major things to consider is drought-tolerance. Additional stressors to keep in mind include flooding, deer browsing, insect pests, soil compaction and poor air quality.

Another factor we are considering when replacing plants at Hurley Park is the heat and hardiness zones. The Hardiness Zones refer to the average annual minimum temperatures and are the most common way to classify and choose plants. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated the Hardiness Zone Map, showing that Rowan County has shifted from Zone 7b to 8a. This means the average annual coldest temperature is now between 10 and 15 degrees, compared to the previous range of 5 to 10 degrees. Over the past 30 years, the average cold temperatures have warmed. Less commonly used, but still valuable is the Heat Zones Map created in the late 1990s by the American Horticultural Society. It divides the U.S. into 12 zones based on the average number of days per year that temperatures exceed 86 degrees — a threshold for when most plants begin to suffer stress from the heat.

A specific group of trees we have focused on replacing with a changing climate in mind are in Mayor’s Row. This row of northern red oaks (Quercus rubra) along North Craige Street was planted in 1987, the year before the park’s official dedication, to honor the 16 mayors who served Salisbury when the park land was given to the city. While some of these trees withstood multiple environmental stressors — soil compaction, road runoff and heat — others have not survived and their replacements have died, too. A solution we’re testing is replacing the northern red oaks with a more southern oak species, the scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea). The scarlet oak has a hardiness zone of 4a to 9b, thrives in full sun and prefers well-drained soils. This winter, we removed two dying northern red oaks and added a total of six scarlet oaks to Mayors Row to replace the trees that have been lost. With a little extra care through their first year, we hope the scarlet oaks will provide beauty and shade to the park for the next 40-plus years.

Stay up to date with what’s happening at Hurley Park by following us on Facebook or Instagram @HurleyParkNC. To make a donation to the park or inquire about rentals, please give us a call at 704-638-5298 or visit salisburync.gov/hurleypark.

Sarina Rattler is public garden supervisor for Salisbury Parks and Recreation.

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