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.

In Alexandria you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant periwinkles by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Periwinkles

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

Since periwinkles do not do well in cold weather it's important to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant periwinkles in Alexandria 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 periwinkles and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your periwinkles may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your periwinkles indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Alexandria. You should expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Alexandria is just 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 periwinkles in the event of a surprise 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.