The USDA Zone info is a great tool for gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

By checking out the USDA zone info for Santa Clara you should be able to estimate when to plant periwinkles.

Planting Calendar for Periwinkles

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

It's probably not a good idea to plant periwinkles until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant periwinkles in Santa Clara 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 periwinkles and expect a good harvest is probably August. Any later than that and your periwinkles may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a couple of weeks earlier by starting your periwinkles indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is March 15 in Santa Clara. It might get as low as 10°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Santa Clara is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Santa Clara you get a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your periwinkles in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Santa Clara

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 Santa Clara

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Santa Clara.