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

In New Bern you can estimate when it's the best time to plant oleander by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Oleander

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

It's probably a bad idea to plant oleander until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant oleander in New Bern 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 oleander and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your oleander may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your oleander indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in New Bern. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for New Bern is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in New Bern you get a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your oleander if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for New Bern

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 New Bern

You may be interested in your other planting guides for New Bern.