One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Muscatine you should be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant tall phlox.

Planting Calendar for Tall Phlox

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

Tall Phlox are moderately cold tolerant which means that you can plant them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant tall phlox in Muscatine 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 tall phlox and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your tall phlox may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your tall phlox indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Muscatine. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Muscatine is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Muscatine last frost occurs after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your tall phlox in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Muscatine

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 Muscatine

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