When to Plant Lenten Rose in Zone 3a

One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

By looking at the USDA zone info for Zone 3a you will be able to determine when it's possible to plant lenten rose.


Planting Calendar for Lenten Rose

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

Lenten Rose are one of those plants that can tolerate a little bit of cold weather which tells us that you can start planting them earlier than other frost tender plants.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant lenten rose
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant lenten rose
Probably not a good time to plant lenten rose

The earliest that you can plant lenten rose in Zone 3a 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 lenten rose and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your lenten rose may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your lenten rose indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 3a the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -40°F.

It's important to remember that USDA zone info for Zone 3a is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 3a it frosts late in the year after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your lenten rose if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 3a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)September 15
Lowest Expected Low-40°F
Highest Expected Low-35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -40°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -35°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 3a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 3a.