One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By using the USDA zone info for Michigan City you should be able to determine when you can plant liatris.

Planting Calendar for Liatris

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

Liatris are very cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them much earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant liatris in Michigan City 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 liatris and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your liatris may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your liatris indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Michigan City. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Michigan City is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Michigan City you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your liatris in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Michigan City

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 Michigan City

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Michigan City.