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When to plant petunias

Start petunias seeds indoors 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost and plant them out from the last frost to 2 weeks after.

Your dates for petunias

Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant petunias where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.

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Petunias planting dates by zone

JFMAMJJASOND Zone 4b Zone 5b Zone 6b Zone 7b Zone 8b Zone 9a
Start indoorsPlant outDates use each zone's typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code for your own.
Dates from each zone's typical (median) frost dates.
ZoneStart indoorsPlant out
Zone 2aFeb 24 to Mar 24May 19 to Jun 2
Zone 3aMar 3 to 31May 26 to Jun 9
Zone 3bFeb 22 to Mar 22May 17 to 31
Zone 4aFeb 18 to Mar 18May 13 to 27
Zone 4bFeb 13 to Mar 13May 8 to 22
Zone 5aFeb 8 to Mar 8May 3 to 17
Zone 5bFeb 6 to Mar 6May 1 to 15
Zone 6aFeb 4 to Mar 4Apr 29 to May 13
Zone 6bJan 29 to Feb 26Apr 23 to May 7
Zone 7aJan 22 to Feb 19Apr 16 to 30
Zone 7bJan 11 to Feb 8Apr 5 to 19
Zone 8aJan 4 to Feb 1Mar 29 to Apr 12
Zone 8bDec 23 to Jan 20Mar 17 to 31
Zone 9aDec 8 to Jan 5Mar 2 to 16
Zone 9bNov 8 to Dec 6Jan 31 to Feb 14

Where frost is rare

In Florida, the Gulf Coast, south and central Texas and the low desert, petunias are a cool-season flower. Plant them in fall (October-November is best in Florida) and they bloom through winter into spring before summer heat, humidity and disease finish them. In north Florida, cover them during frosts. In central and south Texas, fall plantings bloom until a hard freeze, and some varieties (e.g. Laura Bush, Wave, Carpet) survive to bloom again in March-April. Heat-tolerant spreading types such as Wave last longer into warm weather.

ZonePlanting months in Extension guides
Zone 9Oct-Feb (best Oct-Nov; UF/IFAS North and Central Florida lists; Arizona low desert mid-Sep to early Mar)
Zone 10Oct-Dec, Feb (best Oct-Nov; UF/IFAS South Florida monthly lists; January chart not found)
Zone 11Oct-Dec, Feb (UF/IFAS South Florida lists; no zone 11-specific guide)

Based on UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions 'Petunias' page and monthly 'Flowers to Plant' infographics (North/Central/South Florida); UF/IFAS Florida Gardening Calendars ENH1189 (Central), ENH1190 (North) and ENH1191 (South); University of Arizona AZ1100 low-desert guide; Texas A&M AgriLife Bexar County. No University of Hawaii CTAHR or UC ANR petunia planting-month guidance was found. Warm-winter areas are matched to zones approximately, so use the months for your region.

How to grow petuniasYour full planting calendar

Sources