One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the 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 referring to the USDA zone info for Santa Maria you will be able to determine when it's a good idea to plant lantana.

Planting Calendar for Lantana

Frost tolerance for lantana:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

Lantana do not do well in cold weather which tells us that it is important to wait until it warms up after the last frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant lantana in Santa Maria 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 lantana and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your lantana may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your lantana indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Maria the average date of last frost happens on February 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 25°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Maria may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Maria you get a frost after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your lantana if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Maria

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 Maria

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