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.

The USDA zone info for Zone 5b should be used to estimate when you can plant bleeding hearts.

Planting Calendar for Bleeding Hearts

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

Since bleeding hearts do ok in moderate cold you can plant them slightly earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant bleeding hearts in Zone 5b 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 bleeding hearts and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your bleeding hearts may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your bleeding hearts indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is April 15 in Zone 5b. You should expect an average low temperature of -15°F in the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Zone 5b is an average and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Zone 5b there is a last frost after April 15 be ready to cover your bleeding hearts in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 5b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 5b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	-15°F
Highest Expected Low	-10°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 -10°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 5b

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