Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out 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.

The first chance to plant schizanthus in Rockford should be estimated by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Schizanthus

Frost tolerance for schizanthus:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

You should not plant schizanthus until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant schizanthus 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 schizanthus and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your schizanthus may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your schizanthus indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Rockford is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Rockford you get surprised by a frost after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your schizanthus if you have one of those late frosts.

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.