One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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.

A way of figuring out when to plant dusty miller is to refer to the USDA zone info for Bend.

Planting Calendar for Dusty Miller

Frost tolerance for dusty miller:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

You can plant dusty miller much earlier in the year because they are very cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant dusty miller in Bend 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 dusty miller and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your dusty miller may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your dusty miller indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Bend. It might get as low as -5°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Bend is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Bend it frosts late in the year after April 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your dusty miller in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Bend

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 Bend

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