The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first opportunity to plant delphinium in Champaign can be estimated by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Delphinium

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

Delphinium do ok in moderate cold which means that you can plant them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant delphinium in Champaign 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 delphinium and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your delphinium may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your delphinium indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Champaign is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Champaign last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your delphinium if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Champaign

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 Champaign

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