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.

In Chicago you can determine when to plant brunfelsia by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Brunfelsia

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

You really shouldn't plant brunfelsia until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

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

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Chicago is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Chicago it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your brunfelsia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Chicago

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

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