Orlaya · Delhi, Delhi, India

When to plant orlayas in Delhi

Main outdoor window

9 Dec - 7 Jan

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from last spring frost

7 January

In Delhi, on your chosen risk.

First flowers

10 Mar - 9 Apr

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Step by step in Delhi

Download these planting dates (.ics)

Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.

Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.

Start indoors

11 Nov - 9 Dec

Eight weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.

Sow direct

9 Dec - 7 Jan

Four weeks before your last frost.

Plant out

23 Dec - 21 Jan

Two weeks before your last frost.

In flower

10 Mar - 9 Apr

Frost tolerance
Hardy
Damaged below
-12°C (10.4°F)
Days to flowering
90–120
Hardy to
Zone 3a–9a
Min soil temp
5°C (41°F)
Spacing
25 cm
Sowing depth
5 mm (0.2 in)
Sun
Full

Orlayas through the year

Against the frost risk in Delhi

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Frost risk Start indoors Sow direct Plant out Harvest Today
Open My Garden

Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Delhi

July has the highest average precipitation (217 mm); November has the lowest (4 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 16 mm
Feb 22 mm
Mar 18 mm
Apr 15 mm
May 34 mm
Jun 81 mm
Jul 217 mm
Aug 203 mm
Sep 120 mm
Oct 13 mm
Nov 4 mm
Dec 8 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

Monthly growing conditions in Delhi

Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
MonthAverage lowAverage highFrost days
January 6.8°C (44.2°F) 22.3°C (72.1°F) 0.1
February 9.8°C (49.7°F) 26.5°C (79.7°F) 0.0
March 15.4°C (59.6°F) 32.9°C (91.2°F) 0.0
April 21.8°C (71.3°F) 39.3°C (102.7°F) 0.0
May 27°C (80.6°F) 42.6°C (108.6°F) 0.0
June 29.5°C (85°F) 41.9°C (107.4°F) 0.0
July 28°C (82.4°F) 37°C (98.6°F) 0.0
August 26.1°C (78.9°F) 34°C (93.2°F) 0.0
September 23.7°C (74.6°F) 33.7°C (92.7°F) 0.0
October 18.8°C (65.9°F) 32.6°C (90.6°F) 0.0
November 13.5°C (56.3°F) 28.5°C (83.3°F) 0.0
December 8.7°C (47.6°F) 23.9°C (75.1°F) 0.0

For orlayas, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.

Local growing check

Before choosing orlayas for Delhi

  • July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 217 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.

Before you plant orlayas

Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.

  • Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 5°C (41°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
  • Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
  • Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
  • Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.

Choose orlaya's sowing season for the display you need

Choose an open, sunny position with well-drained soil; the RHS notes that poor soil can be suitable. Its UK guidance distinguishes autumn sowing for earlier, larger plants from spring sowing for a later display. Use that comparison with local winter advice rather than copying those months worldwide.

Remove finished flowers or cut down spent stems if seed is not wanted. Record plant height, first flowering and useful cutting stems for each batch. If you want to compare seasons, keep the strain and site consistent so the result reflects timing rather than several changes at once.

What to record this season

Which sowing season gave the most useful height and flowering period in your garden? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.

Further reading: Orlaya grandiflora | white laceflower . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.

The RHS reference is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local seasonal guidance; UK sowing months are not worldwide planting dates.

How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy

Why these dates

Choose an open, sunny position with well-drained soil; the RHS notes that poor soil can be suitable. Its UK guidance distinguishes autumn sowing for earlier, larger plants from spring sowing for a later display. Use that comparison with local winter advice rather than copying those months worldwide.

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.

This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Orlayas are timed from 8 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 2 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Delhi.

Delhi sits in zone 10b, which is above the catalog range. Confirm the exact cultivar locally; a zone number alone cannot measure summer heat or winter chill. The calculated dates do not confirm that this crop is suitable here. Check cultivar requirements and local growing experience before planting.

See every crop timed for Delhi →

Growing orlayas in Delhi

Can I grow orlayas in Delhi?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. July is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 217 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.

When should I plant orlayas in Delhi?

Aim for 9 Dec - 7 Jan in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 10 Dec - 7 Jan - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

When might orlayas flower in Delhi?

The estimated period is 10 Mar - 9 Apr, based on 90 to 120 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.

How much frost will orlayas tolerate?

Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.