In early January someone asked me, I hope jestingly, whether I had my peas in yet. They got the look of disbelief I bet they were looking for.

But to be honest, I did dig a few holes in early January and sneak a few plants into the ground. I guess I did it because I had never done that before. If those plants die I will never mention it again.

It doesn't take any more than the above to jolt the memory about the weather we had in December and January. I took all the precautions of late season planting when I dug in January. The soil was fine, the temperature was good, the ten-day forecast favorable, and a good shower was promised that evening.

After a shower or two and the soil froze on top, I mulched. Three weeks later as the weather turned much colder, I put my Christmas tree to use covering them with a loose pile of evergreen branches.

The early winter weather also spawned a report from the Arbor Day Association that they thought the climate zone maps should be redrawn. According to their plan, we would shift into zone 7. That would suggest that we donŐt get winter lows below zero.

Without uncapping the global warming argument, one must admit that the last several winters seemed to support the zone 7 claim until we encountered February.

I know that the real groundhog saw his shadow and thus we are having six more weeks of winter. My guess is that he looked at the ten-day forecast a day earlier and it was a no-brainer.

What the groundhog proved to me was that his handlers here were just more literate than those in the western part of the country. Does it make you suspicious of the news when the national newsmen give all their attention to that western one?

Sorry, I wondered off. Back to the idea of us being Zone 7. Several years ago I was at a Zone 7 public garden. I knew the gardener and I raved about a rhododendron look alike enough that he gave me two seedlings.

They came home and I planted them in a sheltered spot. I was so sure that they were doomed that I have forgotten their name. Since they seem quite happy I may have to try to figure out what they are.

Many of us are growing crape myrtles as bushes with relative amounts of winter injury. Some of this may be climate, but much of it is the work of the breeders. Camellias have recently joined that list.With both of these and other tender plants you may wish to try the following suggestions. Don't plant too late in the fall. Maybe mulch well after the ground freezes to protect the roots. Finally, wrapping the first season or two will help, too.

Last summer we planted two rather expensive, moderately tender Japanese maples at the entrance to our house. We wrapped them in old sheets ahead of the February blasts and they seem to be doing well. In all honesty, that is the first time in nearly sixty years of playing in the dirt that I have ever wrapped a plant.

Zone 7 or Zone 6. I don't know. Right now I don't flinch if a plant has negative 5-degree winter hardiness, but I am still haunted by that morning in 1993 when I looked at the thermometer in disbelief when it said minus 22.