When to Plant Lotus Vine in Wilmette, IL

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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.

In Wilmette you can estimate when it's the best time to plant lotus vine by referring to the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Lotus Vine

Frost tolerance for lotus vine: Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant: Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Lotus Vine are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can start planting them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

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

The earliest that you can plant lotus vine in Wilmette 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 lotus vine and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your lotus vine may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your lotus vine indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is 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 you get a frost after April 15 so always be ready to cover your lotus vine 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.