One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your 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 using the USDA zone info for Sumter you should be able to figure out when to plant achillea.

Planting Calendar for Achillea

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

Achillea do well in a bit of cold which tells us that you can plant them much earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant achillea in Sumter 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 achillea and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your achillea may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your achillea indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on March 15 in Sumter. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Sumter is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Sumter there is a last frost after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your achillea in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Sumter

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 Sumter

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