One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Wilmington it's a good idea to figure out when it's the best time to plant fountain grass.

Planting Calendar for Fountain Grass

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

Fountain Grass can survive in mild cold which means that you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant fountain grass in Wilmington 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 fountain grass and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your fountain grass may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your fountain grass indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on March 15 in Wilmington. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Wilmington may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Wilmington it frosts late in the year after March 15 be ready to cover your fountain grass if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Wilmington

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 Wilmington

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