Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to determine 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.

A way of figuring out when to plant santolina is to check out the USDA zone info for Mexia.

Planting Calendar for Santolina

Frost tolerance for santolina:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Since santolina are very cold tolerant you can plant them earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant santolina in Mexia 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 santolina and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your santolina may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your santolina indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Mexia. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Since the USDA zone info for Mexia is just an average the actual date of last frost can change quite a bit from year to year. Since half of the time in Mexia you get surprised by a frost after March 15 be ready to protect your santolina if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Mexia

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Mexia

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