When to Plant Calla Lily in Zone 5a

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.

You will be able to estimate when it's the best time to plant calla lily by reviewing the USDA zone info for Zone 5a.


Planting Calendar for Calla Lily

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

Calla Lily do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it's necessary to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant calla lily
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant calla lily
Probably not a good time to plant calla lily

The earliest that you can plant calla lily in Zone 5a 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 calla lily and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your calla lily may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your calla lily indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on April 15 in Zone 5a. You should expect an average low temperature of -20°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 5a may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 5a there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your calla lily if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 5a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)October 15
Lowest Expected Low-20°F
Highest Expected Low-15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -15°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 5a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 5a.