frostdate name logo in white
frostdate name logo in white

When to Plant Helianthemum in West Des Moines, IA

One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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 West Des Moines you can determine when it's a good idea to plant helianthemum by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Helianthemum

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

Helianthemum do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can start planting them earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant helianthemum
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant helianthemum
Probably not a good time to plant helianthemum

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

Last Frost Date

In West Des Moines the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -20°F.

Just be sure to 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 West Des Moines and it is different every year. Since half of the time in West Des Moines there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your helianthemum if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for West Des Moines

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 West Des Moines

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