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

In River Forest you can estimate when it's the best time to plant lobelia by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Lobelia

Frost tolerance for lobelia:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since lobelia do well in cold you can plant them much earlier in the year than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant lobelia in River Forest 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 lobelia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your lobelia may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your lobelia indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in River Forest. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for River Forest is just an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in River Forest you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your lobelia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for River Forest

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -5°F.

Plants to Grow in River Forest

You may be interested in your other planting guides for River Forest.