Winter aconite · Gary, Indiana, United States
When to plant winter aconites in Gary
Main outdoor window
19 Sep - 3 Oct
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
22 April
In Gary, on your chosen risk.
First flowers
1 Feb - 31 Mar
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 Gary
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 tubers
19 Sep - 3 Oct
Four to six weeks before your first frost, so roots form before the ground cools.
In flower
1 Feb - 31 Mar
Winter aconites through the year
Against the frost risk in Gary
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Gary
May has the highest average precipitation (114 mm); January has the lowest (51 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 Gary
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 | -7.8°C (17.9°F)17.9°F (-7.8°C) | -0.4°C (31.3°F)31.3°F (-0.4°C) | 28.4 |
| February | -6.5°C (20.3°F)20.3°F (-6.5°C) | 2.1°C (35.7°F)35.7°F (2.1°C) | 25.9 |
| March | -1.6°C (29.1°F)29.1°F (-1.6°C) | 8.2°C (46.7°F)46.7°F (8.2°C) | 21.5 |
| April | 3.4°C (38.2°F)38.2°F (3.4°C) | 14.6°C (58.3°F)58.3°F (14.6°C) | 6.7 |
| May | 9.4°C (48.9°F)48.9°F (9.4°C) | 20.4°C (68.8°F)68.8°F (20.4°C) | 0.2 |
| June | 15.2°C (59.4°F)59.4°F (15.2°C) | 25.7°C (78.2°F)78.2°F (25.7°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 18.1°C (64.6°F)64.6°F (18.1°C) | 28.1°C (82.6°F)82.6°F (28.1°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 17.8°C (64°F)64°F (17.8°C) | 28°C (82.3°F)82.3°F (28°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 13.7°C (56.6°F)56.6°F (13.7°C) | 24.7°C (76.5°F)76.5°F (24.7°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 7°C (44.6°F)44.6°F (7°C) | 17.5°C (63.4°F)63.4°F (17.5°C) | 1.4 |
| November | 0.5°C (32.8°F)32.8°F (0.5°C) | 9.2°C (48.6°F)48.6°F (9.2°C) | 14.8 |
| December | -4.7°C (23.6°F)23.6°F (-4.7°C) | 2.5°C (36.5°F)36.5°F (2.5°C) | 25.9 |
For winter aconites, 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 winter aconites for Gary
- May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 114 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 winter aconites
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Protect winter aconite's short period of leaf growth
Choose a humus-rich, moisture-retentive but drained position, often under deciduous planting where early light is available. Follow guidance for the purchased tubers or growing plants and avoid letting newly established roots dry out during active growth.
Leave foliage until it dies back naturally and mark the colony before dormancy. Watch whether neighbouring plants or maintenance disturb the tubers. Assess the following season's emergence before expanding the patch; local winter conditions and summer treatment both affect a returning display.
What to record this season
Did the colony reappear, and was its active foliage left intact before summer maintenance? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: NC State Extension: Eranthis hyemalis . 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.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
Choose a humus-rich, moisture-retentive but drained position, often under deciduous planting where early light is available. Follow guidance for the purchased tubers or growing plants and avoid letting newly established roots dry out during active growth.
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.
Winter aconites are anchored to the first autumn frost rather than the last spring one, so the planting window on this page counts backwards from the end of the season in Gary instead of forwards from its start.
Gary is zone 6a, within the crop's general range. This is an initial cold-hardiness check; cultivar, exposure, drainage and unusual winters can still change the outcome.
The median frost-free season here is 192 days, against 100 to 150 days to first flower for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Gary
Other flowers to time
Growing winter aconites in Gary
Can I grow winter aconites in Gary?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 114 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 winter aconites in Gary?
Aim for 19 Sep - 3 Oct in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 31 Aug - 14 Sep - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might winter aconites flower in Gary?
The estimated period is 1 Feb - 31 Mar, based on 100 to 150 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 winter aconites 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.