The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

By reviewing the USDA zone info for Rancho Santa Margarita it's a good idea to estimate when it's the best time to plant xerianthemum.

Planting Calendar for Xerianthemum

Frost tolerance for xerianthemum:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Xerianthemum do ok in moderate cold which tells us that you can get them planted just a bit earlier than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant xerianthemum in Rancho Santa Margarita is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant xerianthemum and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your xerianthemum may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your xerianthemum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Rancho Santa Margarita the average date of last frost happens on January 31. It might get as low as 30°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Rancho Santa Margarita is not always accurate the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Rancho Santa Margarita you get a frost after January 31 so make sure that you are ready to cover your xerianthemum in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Rancho Santa Margarita

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	30°F
Highest Expected Low	35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 30°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 35°F.

Plants to Grow in Rancho Santa Margarita

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Rancho Santa Margarita.