One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

A way of getting a good idea when it's possible to plant iberis is to refer to the USDA zone info for Ottawa.

Planting Calendar for Iberis

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

Since iberis do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant iberis in Ottawa 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 iberis and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your iberis may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your iberis indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Ottawa. It might get as low as -10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Ottawa is just an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Ottawa you get a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your iberis in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Ottawa

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 Ottawa

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