One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You will be able to figure out when it's the best time to plant thunbergia by checking out the USDA zone info for Benson.

Planting Calendar for Thunbergia

Frost tolerance for thunbergia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since thunbergia are not cold tolerant you need to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant thunbergia in Benson 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 thunbergia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your thunbergia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your thunbergia indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Benson the average date of last frost happens on March 15. It might get as low as 15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Benson and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Benson last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to cover your thunbergia in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Benson

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°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 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Benson

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