One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Rensselaer you should be able to estimate when it's possible to plant oleander.

Planting Calendar for Oleander

Frost tolerance for oleander:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since oleander require warm weather it's necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant oleander in Rensselaer 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 oleander and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your oleander may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your oleander indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Rensselaer. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Rensselaer may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Rensselaer there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your oleander in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Rensselaer

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 Rensselaer

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