One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

In El Dorado you can figure out when you can plant larkspur by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Larkspur

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

Larkspur can survive in cold weather which means that you can plant them earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant larkspur in El Dorado 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 larkspur and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your larkspur may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your larkspur indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on March 15 in El Dorado. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for El Dorado is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in El Dorado you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your larkspur in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for El Dorado

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 El Dorado

You may be interested in your other planting guides for El Dorado.