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.

The first chance to plant coreopsis in Lake Charles should be determined by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Coreopsis

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

Coreopsis do well in moderate cold which means that you can start planting them earlier than other plants that might not handle the cold.

The earliest that you can plant coreopsis in Lake Charles is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant coreopsis and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your coreopsis may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your coreopsis indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Lake Charles the average date of last frost happens on February 15. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Lake Charles is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Lake Charles there is a last frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your coreopsis in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Lake Charles

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Lake Charles

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Lake Charles.