One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your 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 Palo Alto you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant flowering maple by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Flowering Maple

Frost tolerance for flowering maple:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since flowering maple are not cold tolerant it's necessary to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant flowering maple 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 flowering maple and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your flowering maple may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your flowering maple indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Palo Alto. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Palo Alto is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Palo Alto you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are prepared to cover your flowering maple if you have 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.