One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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.

In Mercer Island you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant pincushion flower by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Pincushion Flower

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

You can plant pincushion flower a bit earlier in the year because they are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant pincushion flower in Mercer Island 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 pincushion flower and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your pincushion flower may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your pincushion flower indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Mercer Island is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Mercer Island you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your pincushion flower in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Mercer Island

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 Mercer Island

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Mercer Island.