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.

It's a good idea to figure out when it's the best time to plant dianthus by referring to the USDA zone info for Asheville.

Planting Calendar for Dianthus

Frost tolerance for dianthus:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Dianthus do ok in some cold which means that you can plant them a little earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant dianthus in Asheville is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant dianthus and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your dianthus may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your dianthus 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 Asheville. It might get as low as 0°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Asheville is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Asheville last frost occurs after April 15 be ready to protect your dianthus in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Asheville

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

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

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

Plants to Grow in Asheville

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