One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Fountain Hills you can estimate when it's possible to plant achimenes by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Achimenes

Frost tolerance for achimenes:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

Since achimenes do not do well in cold weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant achimenes in Fountain Hills 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 achimenes and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your achimenes may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your achimenes indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on February 15 in Fountain Hills. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Fountain Hills and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Fountain Hills you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to protect your achimenes if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Fountain Hills

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 Fountain Hills

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Fountain Hills.