Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant hibiscus by using the USDA zone info for Island Lake.

Planting Calendar for Hibiscus

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

It's probably not a good idea to plant hibiscus until after all chance of frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant hibiscus in Island Lake 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 hibiscus and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your hibiscus may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your hibiscus indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Island Lake. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Island Lake may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Island Lake you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your hibiscus if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Island Lake

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 Island Lake

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Island Lake.