Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The USDA zone info for Madison should be reviewed to estimate when it's possible to plant lithospermum.

Planting Calendar for Lithospermum

Frost tolerance for lithospermum:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You really shouldn't plant lithospermum until after all chance of frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant lithospermum in Madison is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant lithospermum and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your lithospermum may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your lithospermum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Madison the average date of last frost happens on May 15. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Madison and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Madison last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to cover your lithospermum if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Madison

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Madison

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