Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. 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 you can plant catharanthus is to refer to the USDA zone info for Arlington.

Planting Calendar for Catharanthus

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

It's not a good idea to plant catharanthus until after the last frost because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant catharanthus in Arlington 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 catharanthus and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your catharanthus may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your catharanthus indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Arlington 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 Arlington you get a frost after March 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your catharanthus in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Arlington

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 Arlington

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