The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

A common way of determining when you can plant ageratum is to examine the USDA zone info for Des Moines.

Planting Calendar for Ageratum

Frost tolerance for ageratum:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Ageratum are not cold tolerant which means that you need to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant ageratum in Des Moines 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 ageratum and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your ageratum may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your ageratum indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Des Moines the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Des Moines and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Des Moines last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your ageratum if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Des Moines

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°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 -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Des Moines

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Des Moines.