One of the first steps you take when you are estimating 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.

The best time to plant dipladenia in Ponchatoula should be determined by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Dipladenia

Frost tolerance for dipladenia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost has passed.

Since dipladenia require warm weather it is necessary to wait until after the last frost when the weather gets warmer before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dipladenia in Ponchatoula is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

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

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Ponchatoula. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 15°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Ponchatoula is just an average the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since half of the time in Ponchatoula there is a last frost after March 15 be ready to protect your dipladenia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Ponchatoula

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	15°F
Highest Expected Low	20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 15°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 20°F.

Plants to Grow in Ponchatoula

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