Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to figure out your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant bougainvillea in Palo Alto can be figured out by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Bougainvillea

Frost tolerance for bougainvillea:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since bougainvillea are not cold tolerant it's necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant bougainvillea in Palo Alto is March. However, you really should wait until April if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant bougainvillea and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your bougainvillea may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your bougainvillea indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Palo Alto. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Palo Alto is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Palo Alto it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to cover your bougainvillea in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Palo Alto

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	25°F
Highest Expected Low	30°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 30°F.

Plants to Grow in Palo Alto

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Palo Alto.