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.

A way of estimating when it's the best time to plant balloon flower is to examine the USDA zone info for Effingham.

Planting Calendar for Balloon Flower

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

Balloon Flower are barely cold tolerant which means that you can plant them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant balloon flower in Effingham 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 balloon flower and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your balloon flower may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your balloon flower indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Effingham 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 Effingham you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your balloon flower in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Effingham

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 Effingham

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