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.

By using the USDA zone info for Alpena you will be able to estimate when to plant regal geranium.

Planting Calendar for Regal Geranium

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

Regal Geranium tend to make it in very little cold which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant regal geranium in Alpena 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 regal geranium and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your regal geranium may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your regal geranium indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Alpena the average date of last frost happens on April 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -15°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Alpena is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Alpena last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to cover your regal geranium in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Alpena

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 Alpena

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