Do you want to grow fall flowers in Illinois, but don’t know when to plant them?
Planting fall flowers is not as easy as it seems.
Here’s why:
- Fall Flowers are not able to survive weather above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
So if you plant them outside too early in the fall they will die. And if you plant them too late, your fall flowers won’t bloom or may have a short, small bloom.
Today, I’m going to teach you the ideal time to plant fall flowers in Illinois:
- To Learn More About HOW to Grow Fall Flowers, Check Out This GUIDE!
When to Plant Fall Flowers in Illinois
As you may have already guessed, you need to pay very close attention to your local weather in the fall. Specifically, you are going to need to watch when the last frost occurs.
In general, when there hasn’t been heat over 80 degrees for two weeks, you are SAFE to plant your fall flowers outside in Illinois!
For your reference, I have created this table for average frost dates for most major cities in Illinois. If your city is not listed below you can find its Last & First Frost Dates HERE.
Illinois Last & First Frost Dates
![Illinois Frost Dates](https://thegardeningdad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Illinois-Frost-Dates.png)
Unfortunately, Mother Nature plays cruel tricks on us every year.
It should be noted that the above dates are just averages.
There are years when the last 80 degree Fahrenheit weather is later. Sometimes, the warm day happens much earlier and you can get your fall flowers planted outside in Illinois much quicker.
Like I said before, you need to be very diligent in checking your local weather.
When Should You Start Your Fall Flower Seeds Indoors?
Depending on the type of fall flower, it takes roughly 40-80 days to grow fall flowers from seed indoors and then transplant them to your garden.
For a specific date that you should start fall flower seeds indoors you should:
- Find the first average frost date HERE
- And then subtract 40 – 80 days from it
Not only this, but I recommend again paying close attention to your local weather report.
It should also be noted that the best technique for bringing your fall flower plants outside is to introduce them (in their pots) outside for an hour. And then increase the amount of time they spend outside each day by an hour until they have been outside for 8 hours.
This will “hardened” your fall flower plant, increasing its chances of fighting off diseases, insects, droughts, and wet conditions.
If you want to learn WHEN to plant ANY Fall Flower in Illinois, head over to HERE and just type in the fall flower you want to grow.