One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Wilmette should be looked at to figure out when it's a good idea to plant brunfelsia.

Planting Calendar for Brunfelsia

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

Brunfelsia do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it is necessary to wait until it warms up after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant brunfelsia in Wilmette 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 brunfelsia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your brunfelsia may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your brunfelsia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Wilmette. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Wilmette and it is different every year. Half of the time in Wilmette it frosts late in the year after April 15 so always be ready to cover your brunfelsia if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Wilmette

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 Wilmette

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