When to Plant Lenten Rose in Alton, IL

One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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 checking out the USDA zone info for Alton you will be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant lenten rose.


Planting Calendar for Lenten Rose

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

You can plant lenten rose just a bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

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

The earliest that you can plant lenten rose in Alton 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 lenten rose and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your lenten rose may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your lenten rose indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Alton. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Alton and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Alton you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your lenten rose if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alton

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-10°F
Highest Expected Low-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Alton

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