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 estimating when to plant penstemon is to check out the USDA zone info for Archbald.

Planting Calendar for Penstemon

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

Since penstemon do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant penstemon in Archbald 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 penstemon and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your penstemon may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your penstemon indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Archbald is an average and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Archbald last frost occurs after April 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your penstemon if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Archbald

Here is the info for USDA Zone 6a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-10°F
Highest Expected Low	-5°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 -5°F.

Plants to Grow in Archbald

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