It's not too late to plant a Seattle summer garden

State of play: Seattle recently moved from USDA hardiness zone 8b to 9a, reflecting warmer average winter temperatures.

• The shift means local gardeners can increasingly experiment with plants traditionally associated with Oregon and Northern California, though experts caution Seattle's wet winters still create challenges for some drought-loving plants.

Yes, but: "Everything planted now will need consistent watering, perhaps daily during heat waves," Seattle Times garden columnist Erica Browne Grivas told Axios.

What to plant now: For edible gardens, Grivas says the timing is ideal for warm-weather favorites including basil, tomatoes, beans and squash.

• Looking for flowers? Zinnias, cosmos and dahlias planted now should thrive through the summer. She also recommends unusual Salvias such as "Wendy's Wish," "Black and Blue" and Salvia patens.
• At Rosso's Nursery and Gardens in Tukwila, owner Geno Rosso told Axios he's seeing shoppers snap up annuals, vegetables, herbs and roses.
• But when it comes to long-term value, he prefers plants that come back year after year.
• "People go to Starbucks and don't mind paying $10 for a drink, but sometimes they have a problem paying $10 for a plant," said Rosso. "The plant's going to last for the next 50 years."

Among his perennial picks:

• Tropicana canna lilies, which offer dramatic foliage and bright orange blooms this summer.
• Fatsia, also known as Japanese aralia, a drought-tolerant evergreen grown for its dramatic foliage. Rosso is especially fond of the variegated varieties, whose cream-and-green leaves brighten gardens year-round.
• Pittosporum "Wheeler's Dwarf," a compact evergreen with fragrant flowers.
• Star jasmine and Tuscan jasmine, fragrant flowering vines that have become increasingly common in Seattle gardens, Rosso said.
• They can be planted together, and intertwined, for an extended bloom season.

Between the lines: Seattle's new hardiness zone doesn't mean gardeners should rip out plants that already perform well here.

• Instead, Grivas recommends gradually adding drought-tolerant perennials and shrubs that can handle hotter, drier summers. Her suggestions include yarrow, Erigeron, Cistus, Phlomis and American native Baptisia and Geranium "Rozanne."
• The zone change also creates opportunities for experimentation.
• In a recent Seattle Times column, UW Arboretum director Ray Larson told Grivas he's keeping an eye on plants such as crepe myrtles from the Southeast and manzanitas from Northern California and Southern Oregon that may become increasingly viable in the region.

Also worth a try: Pawpaw trees, an East Coast species that produces a fruit described as tasting like banana mango custard, could become an increasingly interesting option for Northwest gardeners, according to Pete Smith of the Arbor Day Foundation.

The bottom line: If you've been eyeing a plant that once seemed a little too tender for Seattle, now may be the time to take a chance.

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