One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

By checking out the USDA zone info for Richmond you will be able to determine when it's the best time to plant periwinkles.

Planting Calendar for Periwinkles

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

Since periwinkles are not cold tolerant it is important to wait until after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant periwinkles in Richmond 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 periwinkles and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your periwinkles may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your periwinkles indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost is just an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Richmond and it will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Richmond you get surprised by a frost after January 31 so just be sure to be ready to cover your periwinkles in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Richmond

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 Richmond

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Richmond.