Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine your garden schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

The earliest that you can plant thunbergia in Santa Cruz can be estimated by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Thunbergia

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

You can not plant thunbergia until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant thunbergia in Santa Cruz 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 thunbergia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your thunbergia may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your thunbergia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Cruz is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Santa Cruz there is a last frost after February 15 so always be ready to protect your thunbergia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Cruz

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 Santa Cruz

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