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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Sumner you will be able to figure out when you can plant monarda.

Planting Calendar for Monarda

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

Monarda tend to make it in very little cold which tells us that you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant monarda in Sumner 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 monarda and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your monarda may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your monarda indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Sumner. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Sumner may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Sumner last frost occurs after March 15 be ready to protect your monarda in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Sumner

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 Sumner

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