One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Iowa City can be reviewed to determine when it's a good idea to plant angelonia.

Planting Calendar for Angelonia

Frost tolerance for angelonia:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since angelonia do ok in moderate cold you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant angelonia in Iowa City is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant angelonia and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your angelonia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your angelonia indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Iowa City the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Iowa City is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Iowa City you get a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your angelonia in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Iowa City

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Iowa City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Iowa City.