The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out 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.

A common way of estimating when it's the best time to plant doronicum is to use the USDA zone info for Rantoul.

Planting Calendar for Doronicum

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

Since doronicum do well in moderate cold you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant doronicum in Rantoul 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 doronicum and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your doronicum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your doronicum indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Rantoul is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Rantoul you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so always be ready to protect your doronicum if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Rantoul

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 Rantoul

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