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.

A way of getting a good idea when to plant astilbe is to consult the USDA zone info for Islamorada.

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 do ok in moderate cold which means that you can start planting them slightly earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant astilbe in Islamorada is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant astilbe and expect a good harvest is probably November. If you wait any later than that and your astilbe may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your astilbe indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Islamorada it never frosts. You should expect an average low temperature of 40°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Islamorada is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since it never frosts in Islamorada you do not have to be ready to cover your astilbe if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Islamorada

Here is the info for USDA Zone 11a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	40°F
Highest Expected Low	45°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 40°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 45°F.

Plants to Grow in Islamorada

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