One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the 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 best time to plant astilbe in Atwater should be determined by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Astilbe

Frost tolerance for astilbe:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Astilbe are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant astilbe in Atwater 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 astilbe and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your astilbe may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your astilbe indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Atwater. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Atwater may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Atwater there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to cover your astilbe in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Atwater

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Atwater

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