When to Plant Iberis in Sterling, IL

The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant iberis in Sterling should be determined by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Iberis

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

Since iberis are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant iberis
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant iberis
Probably not a good time to plant iberis

The earliest that you can plant iberis in Sterling 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 iberis and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your iberis may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your iberis indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Sterling. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Sterling may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Sterling last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your iberis in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sterling

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 Sterling

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