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.

The best time to plant canna in Melbourne can be estimated by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Canna

Frost tolerance for canna:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After all chance of frost has passed.

It's not a good idea to plant canna until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

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

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Melbourne is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Half of the time in Melbourne you get surprised by a frost after February 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your canna if you have a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Melbourne

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 Melbourne

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