The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening 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 possible to figure out when it's a good idea to plant calliopsis by using the USDA zone info for Rockford.

Planting Calendar for Calliopsis

Frost tolerance for calliopsis:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since calliopsis are not cold tolerant you must wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

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

The last month that you can plant calliopsis and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your calliopsis may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your calliopsis indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on April 15 in Rockford. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Rockford is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Rockford you get a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your calliopsis if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rockford

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 Rockford

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