One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out 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.

In Westlake you can figure out when you can plant pennisetum by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Pennisetum

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

Since pennisetum do ok in moderate cold you can plant them a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant pennisetum in Westlake 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 pennisetum and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your pennisetum may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your pennisetum indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average all chance of frost has passed is on February 15 in Westlake. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 20°F.

Remember that USDA zone info for Westlake is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Westlake it frosts late in the year after February 15 so always be ready to protect your pennisetum in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Westlake

Here is the info for USDA Zone 9a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	February 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	December 15
Lowest Expected Low	20°F
Highest Expected Low	25°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 20°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 25°F.

Plants to Grow in Westlake

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