When to Plant Salpiglossis in Palo Alto, CA

One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

The USDA zone info for Palo Alto can be reviewed to estimate when it's a good idea to plant salpiglossis.


Planting Calendar for Salpiglossis

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

Salpiglossis do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it is necessary to wait until it warms up after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
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A good time to plant salpiglossis
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant salpiglossis
Probably not a good time to plant salpiglossis

The earliest that you can plant salpiglossis 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 salpiglossis and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your salpiglossis may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your salpiglossis indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Palo Alto the average date of last frost happens on February 15. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Palo Alto may not be accurate from year to year and the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Palo Alto you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to cover your salpiglossis 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 Low25°F
Highest Expected Low30°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.