One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

A way of making a decision about when to plant pennisetum is to check out the USDA zone info for Preston.

Planting Calendar for Pennisetum

Frost tolerance for pennisetum:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Pennisetum can survive in very little cold which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant pennisetum in Preston is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant pennisetum and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your pennisetum may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your pennisetum indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Preston. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Preston is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Preston there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your pennisetum in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Preston

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 Preston

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