Help! Is it too early to plant spring flowers this weekend? (garden, pine)

[dianeh]

Help! I find myself with a free weekend this weekend between kids sports. Is it too early for spring planting of flowers? Boy Scouts dropping off pine straw and I wanted to plant some hostas, purple salvia and a butterfly bush or two maybe even a few more hydrangeas? Was wondering if too early in the season? Think it may go below freezing a night or two next week? I'm betting that's the last freeze of season? If I plant this weekend will the new plants survive? Don't want to waste money but also don't want to miss a free Saturday. Let me know what you think!

[greenie72]

This time of year is always a crap shoot. I used to push planting before the typical frost date (for this area, I believe it's mid April) but protect them in case of cold with overturned plastic pots at night, taking them off after the sun came up. But that was a vegetable garden in full sun.

No one can tell you what will happen with weather. If you must plant, I'd say have a plan to cover and protect them overnights where temps dip below freezing and cover them with a lot of mulch.

[poppydog]

April 15th is the last frost date.

I don't know the recommendations for what you want to plant, but you should be able to find that. I wouldn't push it by more than a week or so. It didn't freeze in April of 2017, but we had a couple of lows go into the 20s in April of 2016. It was 29 on April 10, 2016. https://www.wunderground.com/history...ic=&reqdb.wmo=

[stopgo]

Unless you have to do it for some reason, or don't mind covering what you plant with each chance of frost/freeze, I'd wait a while longer. Winter doesn't appear to be done with NC just yet, snow chance popped up in the forecast for Sunday/Monday this weekend!

[don6170]

Originally Posted by dianeh

Help! I find myself with a free weekend this weekend between kids sports. Is it too early for spring planting of flowers? Boy Scouts dropping off pine straw and I wanted to plant some hostas, purple salvia and a butterfly bush or two maybe even a few more hydrangeas? Was wondering if too early in the season? Think it may go below freezing a night or two next week? I'm betting that's the last freeze of season? If I plant this weekend will the new plants survive? Don't want to waste money but also don't want to miss a free Saturday. Let me know what you think!

For flowers, I would wait. For bushes, such as the hostas, butterfly and hydrangeas, you should be OK to plant.

[kelly237]

Unless you want to risk a freeze and having to cover things wait until
April 15.

We do have early April freezes.

Plus in my experience things grow better and get a better start
when planted mid April.

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

I would not take the risk this early in March. As others have already pointed out, your best bet is to wait until mid-April.

[Bpobill]

I guess nobody will point to the weather which is showing mon, tue, and wed lows are 30, 26, and 25. It makes me wonder if these temps are hurting strawberry or peach crops, or could hurt the trees that have already bloomed and grown leaves.

[hula]

Last I heard there's supposed to be a hard freeze this coming Thursday of 28 degrees.

[luv4horses]

For summer annuals, wait until the frost date (mid April) or be willing to re-plant.

For deciduous perennials, plant whenever you like, but if too early the first crop of leaves and buds will die back.

For evergreen perennials, plant whenever you like but don't forget to water.