The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Willows you can determine when it's a good idea to plant oriental poppies by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Oriental poppies

Frost tolerance for oriental poppies:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since oriental poppies do well in moderate cold you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant oriental poppies in Willows is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant oriental poppies and expect a good harvest is probably October. If you wait any later than that and your oriental poppies may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your oriental poppies indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Willows. You should expect an average low temperature of 25°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Willows may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Willows you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to cover your oriental poppies if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Willows

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 Willows

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Willows.