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.

A way of estimating when to plant firebush is to consult the USDA zone info for West Lafayette.

Planting Calendar for Firebush

Frost tolerance for firebush:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's probably a bad idea to plant firebush until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant firebush in West Lafayette 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 firebush and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your firebush may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your firebush indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in West Lafayette. It might get as low as -15°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for West Lafayette is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in West Lafayette it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your firebush in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for West Lafayette

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 West Lafayette

You may be interested in your other planting guides for West Lafayette.