One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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 Valparaiso can be used to estimate when it's a good idea to plant scabiosa.

Planting Calendar for Scabiosa

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

Since scabiosa are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant scabiosa in Valparaiso 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 scabiosa and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your scabiosa may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your scabiosa indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Valparaiso. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Valparaiso is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Valparaiso it frosts late in the year after April 15 be ready to cover your scabiosa if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Valparaiso

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 Valparaiso

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