Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The first chance to plant pennisetum in Pearl should be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Pennisetum

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

Since pennisetum do ok in moderate cold you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Pearl. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Pearl may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Pearl last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your pennisetum if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Pearl

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Pearl

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