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.

In Santa Monica you can determine when it's the best time to plant flowering maple by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Flowering Maple

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

Since flowering maple are not cold tolerant you need to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant flowering maple in Santa Monica 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 flowering maple and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your flowering maple may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your flowering maple indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Santa Monica the average date of last frost happens on January 31. You can expect an average low temperature of 35°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Monica is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Monica it frosts late in the year after January 31 be ready to cover your flowering maple if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Monica

Here is the info for USDA Zone 10b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	January 31
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	35°F
Highest Expected Low	40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 35°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 40°F.

Plants to Grow in Santa Monica

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