One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about 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.

In Lake Charles you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant xerianthemum by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Xerianthemum

Frost tolerance for xerianthemum:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since xerianthemum are barely cold tolerant you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant xerianthemum in Lake Charles 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 xerianthemum and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your xerianthemum may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your xerianthemum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Lake Charles. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Lake Charles is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Lake Charles there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to protect your xerianthemum in the event of a surprise late frost.

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.