One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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.

In Chicago Ridge you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant flowering maple by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Flowering Maple

Frost tolerance for flowering maple:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's a bad idea to plant flowering maple until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant flowering maple in Chicago Ridge is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant flowering maple and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your flowering maple may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your flowering maple indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Chicago Ridge is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Chicago Ridge last frost occurs after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your flowering maple if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Chicago Ridge

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 Chicago Ridge

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Chicago Ridge.