When to Plant Hardy Hibiscus in Fairbanks, AK

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant hardy hibiscus in Fairbanks can be estimated by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Hardy Hibiscus

Frost tolerance for hardy hibiscus: Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant: Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Hardy Hibiscus are one of those plants that can tolerate quite a bit of cold weather which means that you can start planting them much earlier than more sensitive plants.

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

The earliest that you can plant hardy hibiscus in Fairbanks is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant hardy hibiscus and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your hardy hibiscus may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your hardy hibiscus indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Fairbanks the average date of last frost happens on May 15. You should expect an average low temperature of -50°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Fairbanks is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Fairbanks it frosts late in the year after May 15 be ready to protect your hardy hibiscus if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Fairbanks

Here is the info for USDA Zone 2a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)August 15
Lowest Expected Low-50°F
Highest Expected Low-45°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -50°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -45°F.

Plants to Grow in Fairbanks

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Fairbanks.