One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

The USDA zone info for Lake Bluff can be looked at to figure out when it's possible to plant phlox.

Planting Calendar for Phlox

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

Phlox can survive in moderate cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant phlox in Lake Bluff 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 phlox and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your phlox may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your phlox indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Lake Bluff is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Lake Bluff you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your phlox in the event of a surprise 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.