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

In Lake Bluff you can figure out when it's the best time to plant fuchsia by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Fuchsia

Frost tolerance for fuchsia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

It's probably not a good idea to plant fuchsia until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant fuchsia in Lake Bluff 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 fuchsia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your fuchsia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your fuchsia indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Lake Bluff. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Lake Bluff may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Lake Bluff you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your fuchsia if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Lake Bluff

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 Lake Bluff

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