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When to Plant Xerianthemum in North Chicago, IL

One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for North Chicago you should be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant xerianthemum.


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 are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather which means that you can start planting them slightly earlier than more sensitive plants.

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 North Chicago 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

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 will vary from year to year. Half of the time in North Chicago you get a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your xerianthemum 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.