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.

In Wilmington you can figure out when it's the best time to plant bellis by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Bellis

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

Bellis do ok in some cold which tells us that you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant bellis in Wilmington 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 bellis and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your bellis may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your bellis indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Wilmington. You should expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Wilmington may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Wilmington there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your bellis in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Wilmington

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Wilmington

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