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

In Arcadia you can figure out when it's a good idea to plant penstemon by reviewing the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Penstemon

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

You can plant penstemon a little earlier in the year because they do well in moderate cold.

The earliest that you can plant penstemon in Arcadia 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 penstemon and expect a good harvest is probably October. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your penstemon may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your penstemon indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Arcadia is an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Arcadia there is a last frost after February 15 so always be ready to protect your penstemon in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Arcadia

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 Arcadia

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