Group Plants by Hardiness Zone
As a Landscape Architect, I need to extract the first number from the 'Zone Code' (e.g., '6a', '7b', '5') in my plant inventory. This will allow me to quickly group plants by their primary hardiness zone, which is crucial for planning designs suitable for specific climates and managing plant stock efficiently.
=LEFT(B2,1) How it works: The `LEFT` function extracts a specified number of characters from the beginning (left side) of a text string. In this scenario, `B2` refers to the cell containing the 'Zone Code' (e.g., '6a'). The number `1` tells Excel to extract only the first character from the left. This effectively isolates the primary hardiness zone number, allowing for easy grouping and filtering of plants.
Data Setup
| Plant Name | Zone Code | Hardiness Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Tree | 6a | |
| Maple Shrub | 7b | |
| Rose Bush | 5 | |
| Lavender | 8a | |
| Pine Tree | 6b |
Step-by-Step Guide
Select the cell where you want the extracted hardiness zone to appear (e.g., cell C2).
Type the formula: `=LEFT(B2,1)`
Press Enter to apply the formula. The first number of the zone code will appear.
Drag the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of cell C2) down to apply the formula to the rest of your 'Zone Code' column.