One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

The USDA zone info for Converse should be reffered to in order to figure out when to plant hollyhocks.

Planting Calendar for Hollyhocks

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

Since hollyhocks do well in moderate cold you can plant them a little bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant hollyhocks in Converse 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 hollyhocks and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your hollyhocks may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your hollyhocks indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Converse. You should expect an average low temperature of 15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Converse may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Converse you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to protect your hollyhocks if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Converse

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Converse

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