When to Plant Aubrieta in Iowa City, IA

One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your 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 should be looked at to determine when it's possible to plant aubrieta.

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Planting Calendar for Aubrieta

Frost tolerance for aubrieta: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since aubrieta are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather you can plant them a little earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant aubrieta
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant aubrieta
Probably not a good time to plant aubrieta

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

The last month that you can plant aubrieta and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your aubrieta may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your aubrieta indoors.

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.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Iowa City and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Iowa City you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your aubrieta 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.