Freesia · Peterhof, St.-Petersburg, Russia

When to plant freesias in Peterhof

Main outdoor window

30 May - 27 Jun

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from last spring frost

4 May

In Peterhof, 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.

Estimated soil-warming check. The historical frost estimate is 18 May. An air-temperature model suggests soil suitable for freesias may warm to about 13°C (55.4°F) around 30 May. This is a planning estimate, not a soil measurement. The calendar uses the later date; measure your bed at sowing depth and check the forecast before planting.

Step by step in Peterhof

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

30 May - 27 Jun

Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 18 May. Measure your soil before planting. This crop is never fully dormant, so it cannot be planted bare-root in winter.

In flower

1 May - 30 Jun

Frost tolerance
Tender
Damaged below
-3°C (26.6°F)
Hardy to
Zone 9a–11a
Min soil temp
13°C (55.4°F)
Spacing
10 cm
Sowing depth
50 mm (2 in)
Sun
Full

Freesias through the year

Against the frost risk in Peterhof

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Frost risk Plant Harvest Today
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Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Peterhof

August has the highest average precipitation (90 mm); February has the lowest (38 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 45 mm
Feb 38 mm
Mar 40 mm
Apr 47 mm
May 60 mm
Jun 78 mm
Jul 88 mm
Aug 90 mm
Sep 58 mm
Oct 67 mm
Nov 59 mm
Dec 54 mm

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 Peterhof

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.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
MonthAverage lowAverage highFrost days
January -10.4°C (13.4°F) -5.6°C (21.9°F) 29.9
February -10.2°C (13.6°F) -4.8°C (23.3°F) 27.5
March -6°C (21.1°F) -0.3°C (31.5°F) 29.3
April -0.2°C (31.6°F) 7.3°C (45.1°F) 16.4
May 5.5°C (41.8°F) 13.9°C (57°F) 2.0
June 11°C (51.7°F) 18.6°C (65.5°F) 0.0
July 14°C (57.3°F) 21.3°C (70.4°F) 0.0
August 13°C (55.3°F) 20.1°C (68.3°F) 0.0
September 8.5°C (47.3°F) 15°C (58.9°F) 0.0
October 3°C (37.4°F) 7.5°C (45.5°F) 7.2
November -2.6°C (27.4°F) 0.9°C (33.5°F) 20.1
December -7.6°C (18.4°F) -3.4°C (25.8°F) 28.2

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 Peterhof

  • August is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 90 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 Peterhof has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Peterhof 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.

See every crop timed for Peterhof →

Growing freesias in Peterhof

Can I grow freesias in Peterhof?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. August is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 90 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 Peterhof?

Aim for 30 May - 27 Jun in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 30 May - 27 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

Can I plant freesias earlier in Peterhof?

The historical frost estimate is 18 May. For Freesias, an air-temperature model estimates soil warmth of about 13°C (55.4°F) around 30 May. This is not a soil measurement or a forecast. Check your bed at sowing depth; cold, wet conditions can slow growth and increase decay risk.

When might freesias flower in Peterhof?

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.