One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You will be able to estimate when it's a good idea to plant hamelia by referring to the USDA zone info for North Chicago.

Planting Calendar for Hamelia

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

Hamelia are not cold tolerant which tells us that you have to wait until it warms up after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant hamelia in North Chicago 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 hamelia and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your hamelia may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your hamelia 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 North Chicago. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for North Chicago is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in North Chicago last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your hamelia if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for North Chicago

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 North Chicago

You may be interested in your other planting guides for North Chicago.