The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Chicago you will be able to determine when it's possible to plant tropical hibiscus.

Planting Calendar for Tropical Hibiscus

Frost tolerance for tropical hibiscus:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Tropical Hibiscus require warm weather which means that you have to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant tropical hibiscus 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 tropical hibiscus and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your tropical hibiscus may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your tropical hibiscus 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 Chicago. You can expect an average low temperature of -10°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Chicago may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Chicago you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your tropical hibiscus in the event of 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.