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.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Austin you will be able to estimate when to plant dusty miller.

Planting Calendar for Dusty Miller

Frost tolerance for dusty miller:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Dusty Miller are very cold tolerant which means that you can plant them a quite a bit earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant dusty miller in Austin 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 dusty miller and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your dusty miller may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your dusty miller indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on May 15 in Austin. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Austin may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Austin there is a last frost after May 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your dusty miller in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Austin

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Austin

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