When to Plant Snapdragons in Elmhurst, IL

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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.

A way of getting a good idea when it's a good idea to plant snapdragons is to examine the USDA zone info for Elmhurst.


Planting Calendar for Snapdragons

Frost tolerance for snapdragons: Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant: Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant snapdragons a little earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

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

The earliest that you can plant snapdragons in Elmhurst is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant snapdragons and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your snapdragons may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your snapdragons indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Elmhurst the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You can expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Elmhurst and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Elmhurst there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to protect your snapdragons if you have a late frost.

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.