One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate 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.

One way of getting a good idea when it's the best time to plant monkey flower is to examine the USDA zone info for Santa Maria.

Planting Calendar for Monkey Flower

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

You really shouldn't plant monkey flower until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

The earliest that you can plant monkey flower 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 monkey flower and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your monkey flower may not have a chance to grow to maturity. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your monkey flower indoors.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost when the weather gets warmer is on February 15 in Santa Maria. It might get as low as 25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost is not always accurate because it is based on the USDA zone info for Santa Maria and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Maria there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to cover your monkey flower in the event of a surprise late frost.

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.