When to Plant Xerianthemum in Melrose Park, IL

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

In Melrose Park you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant xerianthemum by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Xerianthemum

Frost tolerance for xerianthemum: Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant: Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Xerianthemum do well in mild cold which means that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

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

The earliest that you can plant xerianthemum in Melrose Park is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

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

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Melrose Park. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Melrose Park and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Melrose Park you get a frost after April 15 be ready to cover your xerianthemum if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Melrose Park

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 Melrose Park

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Melrose Park.