When to Plant Celosia in Elmhurst, IL

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The earliest that you can plant celosia in Elmhurst should be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Celosia

Frost tolerance for celosia: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After all chance of frost has passed.

Since celosia do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant celosia
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant celosia
Probably not a good time to plant celosia

The earliest that you can plant celosia in Elmhurst 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 celosia and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your celosia may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your celosia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Elmhurst the average date of last frost happens on April 15. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Elmhurst may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Elmhurst you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your celosia in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Elmhurst

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 Elmhurst

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