One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea your gardening schedule is find your 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.

One way of determining when to plant delphinium is to use the USDA zone info for Sarasota.

Planting Calendar for Delphinium

Frost tolerance for delphinium:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Delphinium are barely cold tolerant which tells us that you can plant them slightly earlier than plants that are more sensitive to the cold.

The earliest that you can plant delphinium in Sarasota 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 delphinium and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your delphinium may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your delphinium indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Since the USDA zone info for Sarasota is just an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Sarasota last frost occurs after February 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your delphinium if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Sarasota

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 Sarasota

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