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

By referring to the USDA zone info for Des Plaines it's a good idea to figure out when it's possible to plant chrysocephalum.

Planting Calendar for Chrysocephalum

Frost tolerance for chrysocephalum:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You can not plant chrysocephalum until after all chance of frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant chrysocephalum in Des Plaines 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 chrysocephalum and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your chrysocephalum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your chrysocephalum indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Des Plaines. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Des Plaines and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Des Plaines you get a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your chrysocephalum in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Des Plaines

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 Des Plaines

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Des Plaines.