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.

The first opportunity to plant helianthemum in Richmond can be figured out by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Helianthemum

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

Helianthemum do well in moderate cold which tells us that you can start planting them earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant helianthemum in Richmond is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant helianthemum and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your helianthemum may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your helianthemum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Richmond the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Richmond and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Richmond there is a last frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your helianthemum if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Richmond

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

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

Plants to Grow in Richmond

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