One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Iowa City you can figure out when you can plant aubretia by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Aubretia

Frost tolerance for aubretia:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Aubretia do well in cold weather which means that you can plant them much earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant aubretia in Iowa City 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 aubretia and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your aubretia may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your aubretia indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Iowa City. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Iowa City is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Iowa City you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your aubretia if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Iowa City

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 Iowa City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Iowa City.