Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Sycamore, Great Maple, Plane-tree Maple.

More about sycamore maple

About Sycamore Maple

Acer pseudoplatanus · also called Sycamore, Great Maple · flowering

Sycamore Maple is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree native to central Europe and western Asia, widely naturalised in the UK. It produces dense shade, distinctive winged samaras (helicopter seeds), and attractive yellow-green spring flowers. Important for wildlife. The seeds are toxic to horses and potentially to dogs (atypical myopathy risk).

Cold limit: USDA 4–7 · RHS H7 (−25 to 30°C)

What sycamore maple's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — sycamore maple is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 4–7, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 4–7 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Sycamore Maple is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for sycamore maple as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can sycamore maple go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4–7 and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when sycamore maple can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Sycamore Maple hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is sycamore maple cold hardy?

Yes — sycamore maple is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 4–7, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Sycamore Maple is hardy across USDA 4–7; it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature sycamore maple can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Sycamore Maple is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is sycamore maple?

Sycamore Maple is rated USDA 4–7 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can sycamore maple survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4–7 and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to sycamore maple below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.