One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

In Springfield you can figure out when it's the best time to plant firebush by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Firebush

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

You should not plant firebush until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant firebush in Springfield 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 firebush and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your firebush may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your firebush indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Springfield. You can expect an average low temperature of -5°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Springfield may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Springfield you get surprised by a frost after April 15 be ready to protect your firebush if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Springfield

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-5°F
Highest Expected Low	0°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -5°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 0°F.

Plants to Grow in Springfield

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