The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of figuring out when it's possible to plant brachycome is to use the USDA zone info for Normal.

Planting Calendar for Brachycome

Frost tolerance for brachycome:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

It's a bad idea to plant brachycome until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant brachycome in Normal 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 brachycome and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your brachycome may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your brachycome indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Normal is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Normal there is a last frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your brachycome in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Normal

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 Normal

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Normal.