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.

A common way of determining when it's a good idea to plant penstemon is to refer to the USDA zone info for Crossett.

Planting Calendar for Penstemon

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

Penstemon do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can plant them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant penstemon in Crossett 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 penstemon and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your penstemon may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your penstemon indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on March 15 in Crossett. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Crossett is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Crossett you get a frost after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your penstemon in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Crossett

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

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

Plants to Grow in Crossett

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