The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate 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.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Dubuque you should be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant coral bells.

Planting Calendar for Coral Bells

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

Coral Bells do well in moderate cold which means that you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Dubuque. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Dubuque is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Dubuque last frost occurs after April 15 so always be ready to protect your coral bells in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Dubuque

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-20°F
Highest Expected Low	-15°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 -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Dubuque

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