Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) (Aglaonema commutatum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Chinese evergreen, Aglaonema, Philippine evergreen, Painted drop-tongue.

More about aglaonema (chinese evergreen)

About Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)

Aglaonema commutatum · also called Chinese evergreen, Aglaonema · houseplant

Aglaonema commutatum, or Chinese evergreen, is a slow-growing tropical foliage plant from the Philippines prized for its silver-marbled leaves and forgiving nature. Its one defining need is warmth: it suffers chilling injury below roughly 15C, so keep it out of cold draughts and unheated rooms while giving it steady, indirect light.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (18-27C)

Watch for — Chilling injury from cold: The single biggest killer. Exposure to temperatures roughly between freezing and 15C (59F) causes grey-green blotches that yellow, plus drooping and rot. Keep above 15C and away from draughty doors, cold windows and air-con vents.

What aglaonema (chinese evergreen)'s hardiness rating actually means

Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 — 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 about 5 °C (and never frost). Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for aglaonema (chinese evergreen) as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can aglaonema (chinese evergreen) go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

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 aglaonema (chinese evergreen) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is aglaonema (chinese evergreen) cold hardy?

Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature aglaonema (chinese evergreen) can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is aglaonema (chinese evergreen)?

Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) is rated USDA 10-12 and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can aglaonema (chinese evergreen) survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to aglaonema (chinese evergreen) below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.