When to Plant Pampas Grass in Newport News, VA

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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Newport News it's a good idea to estimate when it's a good idea to plant pampas grass.


Planting Calendar for Pampas Grass

Frost tolerance for pampas grass: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost has passed.

It's probably a bad idea to plant pampas grass until after the last frost has passed because they require warm weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant pampas grass
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant pampas grass
Probably not a good time to plant pampas grass

The earliest that you can plant pampas grass in Newport News 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 pampas grass and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your pampas grass may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your pampas grass indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on March 15 in Newport News. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Newport News is just an average and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Newport News it frosts late in the year after March 15 so always be ready to cover your pampas grass if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Newport News

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 Low10°F
Highest Expected Low15°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 Newport News

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Newport News.