When to Plant Saxifraga in Portland, ME

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

It's a good idea to figure out when you can plant saxifraga by using the USDA zone info for Portland.


Planting Calendar for Saxifraga

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

Saxifraga are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than more sensitive plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant saxifraga
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant saxifraga
Probably not a good time to plant saxifraga

The earliest that you can plant saxifraga in Portland 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 saxifraga and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your saxifraga may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your saxifraga indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on April 15 in Portland. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Portland and it is different every year. Half of the time in Portland you get a frost after April 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your saxifraga in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Portland

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-15°F
Highest Expected Low-10°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 -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Portland

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