When to Plant Dahlia in Zone 11b

One of the first steps you take when you are determining 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.

The earliest that you can plant dahlia in Zone 11b can be figured out by checking out the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Dahlia

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

You really shouldn't plant dahlia until after the last frost has passed because they do not do well in cold weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant dahlia
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant dahlia
Probably not a good time to plant dahlia

The earliest that you can plant dahlia in Zone 11b is January. However, you really should wait until February if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant dahlia and expect a good harvest is probably November. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your dahlia may not have a chance to really do well. You can get started a few weeks earlier by starting your dahlia indoors.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 11b it never frosts. You can expect an average low temperature of 45°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 11b is not always accurate the actual date of last frost is different every year. Since it never frosts in Zone 11b you do not have to be ready to cover your dahlia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 11b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 11b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)Never
Lowest Expected Low45°F
Highest Expected Low50°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 45°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 50°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 11b

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 11b.