Freesia · Des Plaines, Illinois, United States
When to plant freesias in Des Plaines
Main outdoor window
10 May - 7 Jun
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
26 April
In Des Plaines, on your chosen risk.
First flowers
1 May - 30 Jun
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Des Plaines
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Plant the corms
10 May - 7 Jun
After the last frost, once the soil has warmed. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.
In flower
1 May - 30 Jun
Freesias through the year
Against the frost risk in Des Plaines
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Des Plaines
May has the highest average precipitation (121 mm); January has the lowest (44 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Des Plaines
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -9.8°C (14.4°F)14.4°F (-9.8°C) | -1.5°C (29.3°F)29.3°F (-1.5°C) | 29.4 |
| February | -8.2°C (17.3°F)17.3°F (-8.2°C) | 1.1°C (33.9°F)33.9°F (1.1°C) | 26.6 |
| March | -2.4°C (27.6°F)27.6°F (-2.4°C) | 7.7°C (45.9°F)45.9°F (7.7°C) | 23.1 |
| April | 2.6°C (36.7°F)36.7°F (2.6°C) | 14.5°C (58.1°F)58.1°F (14.5°C) | 8.7 |
| May | 8.8°C (47.8°F)47.8°F (8.8°C) | 20.7°C (69.3°F)69.3°F (20.7°C) | 0.3 |
| June | 14.7°C (58.5°F)58.5°F (14.7°C) | 26.3°C (79.3°F)79.3°F (26.3°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 17.6°C (63.8°F)63.8°F (17.6°C) | 28.7°C (83.6°F)83.6°F (28.7°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 17.2°C (63°F)63°F (17.2°C) | 28.3°C (83°F)83°F (28.3°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 12.9°C (55.2°F)55.2°F (12.9°C) | 24.7°C (76.4°F)76.4°F (24.7°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 5.9°C (42.7°F)42.7°F (5.9°C) | 17°C (62.6°F)62.6°F (17°C) | 3.2 |
| November | -0.7°C (30.7°F)30.7°F (-0.7°C) | 8.4°C (47.2°F)47.2°F (8.4°C) | 18.0 |
| December | -6.3°C (20.6°F)20.6°F (-6.3°C) | 1.4°C (34.5°F)34.5°F (1.4°C) | 27.5 |
For freesias, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing freesias for Des Plaines
- May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 121 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant freesias
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 13°C (55.4°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Check mature size, drainage and cultivar suitability before choosing a permanent position. A suitable planting window does not guarantee long-term survival or fruiting.
Give freesias a mild, cool growing period
Use a drained rooting medium and a sunny position appropriate to local conditions. Keep moisture available during leaf and flower growth without leaving corms in standing water. Choose a container deep enough for roots and support stems if the chosen variety needs it.
Allow the leaves to complete growth after flowering. Where outdoor winter conditions are unsuitable, follow the supplier's lifting and storage advice for the corms. Small successive batches can be compared for flowering time, but very different temperatures may change the result more than a few days between plantings.
What to record this season
Which planting batch flowered well, and what temperatures occurred during its active growth? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: Freesia (Baboon Flower, Freesias) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
The reference describes plant identity and cultivation. Its regional calendar months and hardiness observations do not validate the calculated dates for another location. This reference covers the broader plant group; confirm the named form and its specific requirements with the supplier.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Use a drained rooting medium and a sunny position appropriate to local conditions. Keep moisture available during leaf and flower growth without leaving corms in standing water. Choose a container deep enough for roots and support stems if the chosen variety needs it.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
Freesias are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Des Plaines has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.
Des Plaines sits in zone 5b, which is colder than the catalog range. Check a locally proven cultivar and a realistic protection plan before planting. The calculated dates do not confirm that this crop is suitable here. Check cultivar requirements and local growing experience before planting.
Nearby
Freesias in places close by
Also in Des Plaines
Other flowers to time
Growing freesias in Des Plaines
Can I grow freesias in Des Plaines?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 121 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant freesias in Des Plaines?
Aim for 10 May - 7 Jun in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 26 May - 23 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might freesias flower in Des Plaines?
The estimated period is 1 May - 30 Jun, based on 100 to 130 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will freesias tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.