One of the first steps you take when you are getting a good idea 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 dipladenia in Zone 9a can be determined by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Dipladenia

Frost tolerance for dipladenia:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since dipladenia are not cold tolerant you need to wait until after the last frost before you can plant them.

The earliest that you can plant dipladenia in Zone 9a 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 dipladenia and expect a good harvest is probably September. Any later than that and your dipladenia may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your dipladenia indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 9a the average date of last frost happens on February 15. It might get as low as 20°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Zone 9a is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 9a it frosts late in the year after February 15 be ready to cover your dipladenia if you have one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 9a

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 Zone 9a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 9a.