When to sow godetias in Hengshui

Why these dates

Sow direct three weeks before the last frost, thinly, on unimproved ground - rich soil gives leaves instead of flowers. Do not thin too hard; it flowers better standing slightly crowded and supports itself that way. Needs cool nights to set buds, so late sowings in a hot climate rarely amount to much.

Hardy to about -8C as a seedling. It is a plant of cool maritime summers, so autumn sowing suits zone 8 and 9 well while hot inland summers defeat it whenever it is sown.

Seed packets and extension guides express timing as weeks either side of the last spring frost, because that is the only reference point that travels. Godetias are timed for direct sowing 3 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Hengshui.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Hengshui is zone 7b, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

The median frost-free season here is 223 days, against 75 to 95 days to first flower for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for Hengshui →