One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

You should be able to estimate when it's a good idea to plant hamelia by reviewing the USDA zone info for Orange.

Planting Calendar for Hamelia

Frost tolerance for hamelia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

You really shouldn't plant hamelia until after all chance of frost has passed because they require warm weather.

The earliest that you can plant hamelia in Orange 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 hamelia and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your hamelia may not have a chance to fully mature. Starting your hamelia indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is February 15 in Orange. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Orange may not be accurate from year to year the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Orange you get surprised by a frost after February 15 be ready to cover your hamelia if you have a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Orange

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 Orange

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