The following information comes from HGTV.com at
Gardening : Zones : USDA Zones and Plant Lists : Home & Garden Television
I've copied the specific info for Zone 9 here:
USDA Zone 9
Average minimum temperature: 20 F to 30 F
Spring: January 1 - March 1
Average last frost date: Jan 30 - February 28
Average first frost date: November 30 - December 30
Fall: October 1 - December 1
In the Florida peninsula and the southern edges of Louisiana, summers are hot and humid. In Texas west to California, summers are hot and dry. Here, the climate is often referred to as Mediterranean; many of the plants that do well in the Southwest—rosemary, thyme, lavender—also thrive in southern Europe, Greece and Turkey.
Many of the plants found here have developed a way to handle heat and drought-leaves are fleshy and hold moisture, spines deter animal grazing. Often they undergo a summer dormancy. Others such as clematis, daylilies and coreopsis are at their heat limit; they succumb in warmer zones. Asparagus fern (Asparagus setaceus), fuchsia hybrids, Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus), caladium and the California pepper tree (Schinus molle) are hardy here. But gardeners should be more concerned about tolerance to summer heat and drought as cold-hardiness. In the Southwest, choose plants like desert ruellia (Ruellia sp.), santolina, spotted emu bush (Eremophila maculata), agave and trident sage (Salvia x trident). Citrus, olives, figs, stone fruits, avocados and grapes are large agricultural crops.
The USDA hardiness zone map is based on average minimum winter temperatures, each zone representing a 10-degree difference from the ones above and below it. Each zone is further divided into "a" and "b" areas. The difference between each of these sub-zones is a matter of five degrees. The average minimum temperature in winter in Zone 9a is 20 to 25 F. In Zone 9b, it's 25 to 30 F.
A myriad of factors—together called the microclimate—affect a plant's ability to withstand winter in a certain location, including exposure (or lack of it) to sun, proximity to a building, protection from winter winds, amount of soil moisture, etc. In that way, many plants can often be "pushed" into overwintering in an area that's technically too cold for them. Our plant descriptions take "a" and "b" subzones into account. If you want to play it absolutely safe, buy plants that are hardy to your zone, not just marginally hardy to the "b" subzone.
Sample Cities in USDA Zone 9a
Houston, Texas
St. Augustine, Florida
New Orleans, Louisiana
Sample Cities in USDA Zone 9b
Brownsville, Texas
Fort Pierce, Florida
Yuma, Arizona
I've always thought I was in zone 9a but after reading this, I think it might be 9b
Nita, you're about an hour or so north of me so we might be in different zones
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Frequent flyer miles!!! LOL It's a good thing I'm not trying to bring them on a plane. 
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