One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By referring to the USDA zone info for Lake Charles it's a good idea to estimate when it's a good idea to plant iberis.

Planting Calendar for Iberis

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

Iberis do well in some cold which means that you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant iberis 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 iberis and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your iberis may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your iberis indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Lake Charles. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Lake Charles may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Lake Charles you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your iberis 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.