One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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 figuring out when it's a good idea to plant achillea is to refer to the USDA zone info for Alexandria.

Planting Calendar for Achillea

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

Since achillea are very cold tolerant you can plant them quite a bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant achillea in Alexandria 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 achillea and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your achillea may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your achillea indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Alexandria. 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 Alexandria is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Alexandria you get a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your achillea if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alexandria

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°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 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Alexandria

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