Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can estimate when to plant balloon flower in Bourbonnais by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Balloon Flower

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

Balloon Flower do ok in some cold which means that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant balloon flower in Bourbonnais 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 balloon flower and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your balloon flower may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your balloon flower indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Bourbonnais. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Bourbonnais is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Bourbonnais last frost occurs after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your balloon flower if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bourbonnais

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 Bourbonnais

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