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

You will be able to estimate when you can plant xerianthemum by looking at the USDA zone info for Santa Maria.

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 means that you can start planting them slightly earlier than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant xerianthemum in Santa Maria 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. If you wait any later than that and your xerianthemum may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your xerianthemum indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Santa Maria and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Santa Maria you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your xerianthemum 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.