Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate 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 New Orleans you can determine when you can plant pentas by checking out the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Pentas

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

Since pentas are not cold tolerant you need to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant pentas in New Orleans 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 pentas and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your pentas may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your pentas indoors.

Last Frost Date

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

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for New Orleans is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in New Orleans it frosts late in the year after February 15 so just be sure to be ready to cover your pentas in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for New Orleans

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 New Orleans

You may be interested in your other planting guides for New Orleans.