Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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.

You should be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant gladiolus by looking at the USDA zone info for Shelton.

Planting Calendar for Gladiolus

Frost tolerance for gladiolus:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since gladiolus do ok in moderate cold you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant gladiolus in Shelton is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant gladiolus and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your gladiolus may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your gladiolus indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Remember that USDA zone info for Shelton is just an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Shelton last frost occurs after March 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your gladiolus if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Shelton

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 Shelton

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