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 Seaside you can estimate when it's the best time to plant cardinal flower by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Cardinal Flower

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

You can not plant cardinal flower until after the last frost because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant cardinal flower in Seaside 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 cardinal flower and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your cardinal flower may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your cardinal flower indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on February 15 in Seaside. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Seaside is an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Seaside there is a last frost after February 15 be ready to cover your cardinal flower in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Seaside

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 Seaside

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