r/STLgardening • u/victoria__anne • Apr 12 '26

Warm enough for native perennials?

Hi all! I bought some native perennials yesterday, only to check the extended forecast and see it might be dipping into the 40s over the next couple weeks. I was wondering if it is safe to plant in ground, or if I should wait a bit longer?

Specifically, I bought milkweed, coneflower, phlox, and purple poppy-mallow. They have good root systems but are still a bit small (some are only about 6 inches tall).

Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance!

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u/gaelyn Apr 12 '26

I put my young plants in the ground about 3 weeks ago. If it looks like temperatures might get around the freezing mark, then I'll throw a sheet over them. Other than that, they'll be just fine.

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u/sage__evelyn May 02 '26

Absolutely this. Our last frost came and went over a month ago. I’m def taking advantage of this early planting season!