One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Aiken you will be able to figure out when it's a good idea to plant hamelia.

Planting Calendar for Hamelia

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

You can not plant hamelia until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant hamelia in Aiken 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 hamelia and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your hamelia may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your hamelia indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Aiken. 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 Aiken is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Aiken you get a frost after March 15 so make sure that you are ready to protect your hamelia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Aiken

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 Aiken

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