Here we are. There are leaves starting on the trees. Many of the spring flowers are putting on a show. Summer is knocking at the door. We are gearing up for planting our annual flowers for the summer. Before we get to far ahead of ourselves, let us remember that frost is still possible.
If your annual flowers are already in the ground, a frost is not the end of the world. What is best to do when a frost is in the forecast is to cover your flowers to keep the frost off of them. Unless it gets to very frigid temperatures, this is enough to protect the annuals.
For the Grand Rapids area, the earliest last frost was recorded on April 10. The lasted recorded frost was on May 27. The Michigan State University Extension offices have done a great job tracking the information and creating a chart with various cities around Michigan and their frost free dates. You can find the chart by clicking here.
I know that with nice weather it can be hard to wait to plant your annual flowers. But waiting can bring some peace of mind. A frost can sneak up and do quite a bit of damage if your annuals are not protected. That is why as a rule of thumb around West Michigan it is best to wait until Memorial Day weekend to plant your annual flowers.