One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the 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 best time to plant ornamental grasses in Zone 12a can be determined by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Ornamental Grasses

Frost tolerance for ornamental grasses:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Since ornamental grasses are one of those plants that can tolerate a tiny bit of cold weather you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant ornamental grasses in Zone 12a 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 ornamental grasses and expect a good harvest is probably November. If you wait any later than that and your ornamental grasses may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your ornamental grasses indoors is a great way to get them started a couple of weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 12a it never frosts. You can expect an average low temperature of 50°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 12a is an average the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Since it never frosts in Zone 12a you do not have to be ready to protect your ornamental grasses in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 12a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 12a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	Never
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	Never
Lowest Expected Low	50°F
Highest Expected Low	55°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 50°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 55°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 12a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 12a.