Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Hartwell can be reviewed to determine when to plant pennisetum.

Planting Calendar for Pennisetum

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

You can plant pennisetum slightly earlier in the year because they are barely cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant pennisetum in Hartwell is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant pennisetum and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your pennisetum may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your pennisetum indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Hartwell. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Hartwell is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Hartwell you get surprised by a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your pennisetum in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Hartwell

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 Hartwell

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