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 Gaithersburg you can determine when it's a good idea to plant xerianthemum by reviewing 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.

You can plant xerianthemum a bit earlier in the year because they do ok in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant xerianthemum in Gaithersburg is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant xerianthemum and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your xerianthemum may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your xerianthemum indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Gaithersburg the average date of last frost happens on April 15. You can expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Gaithersburg is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Gaithersburg there is a last frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your xerianthemum if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Gaithersburg

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Gaithersburg

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