Cleome (Spider Flower) in Zone 11a & 11b

Cleome hassleriana

When to plant cleome (spider flower) in zone 11b

Zones 11a and 11b share the same average frost dates in our data, so this page covers both.

Method: Either: Start indoors for an earlier harvest, or direct-sow outside for less fuss. Cleome (Spider Flower) tolerates either.

Start indoors	Nov 13–Nov 20
Direct sow / transplant outside	Jan 15–Jan 22
Estimated bloom	Mar 31–Apr 7 (~75 days after planting)

Spacing: 1 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 1.5-6 ft.

Cleome, also called spider flower, is one of the taller plants on this site, anywhere from 1.5 to 6 feet depending on the cultivar, and it earns that height by being a serious draw for hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and predatory insects that help keep pest populations down elsewhere in the garden. The classic species form does have a downside worth knowing up front: sticky sap, a noticeable odor, and stems armed with small spines.

How cleome (spider flower) fits zone 11's season

Zone 11b is frost-free in this dataset, so frost is not what limits the calendar here. What you can plant, and when, comes down to summer heat and daylength instead.

Good companions

No standout companions recorded yet for Cleome (Spider Flower).

Where to buy cleome seeds

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