Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Alpine Rock Jasmine (Androsace alpina)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Alpine Rock Jasmine, Alpine Androsace, Alpine Rock-Jasmine.

More about alpine rock jasmine

About Alpine Rock Jasmine

Androsace alpina · also called Alpine Rock Jasmine, Alpine Androsace · flowering

Androsace alpina is a cushion-forming evergreen perennial endemic to high-alpine scree, crevices, and moraines in the Alps, growing at 2,500–3,200 m on well-drained acidic substrates. It forms low mats of tiny, glandular-hairy rosettes and bears small white to rose-pink flowers directly above the foliage in late spring to early summer. In cultivation it requires a very gritty, acidic, sharply drained medium, full sun, and careful watering — best managed in an alpine house or a dedicated scree trough. Sources indicate the species is considered non-toxic to pets, though it does not appear by name on the ASPCA database; classified as mildly-toxic pending direct ASPCA confirmation.

Cold limit: USDA 4-7 · RHS H5 (-25 to 18°C)

What alpine rock jasmine's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — alpine rock jasmine is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 4-7, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold 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 about −15 to −10 °C. Alpine Rock Jasmine is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for alpine rock jasmine as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 alpine rock jasmine 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 alpine rock jasmine can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Alpine Rock Jasmine hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is alpine rock jasmine cold hardy?

Yes — alpine rock jasmine is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 4-7, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Alpine Rock Jasmine 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 alpine rock jasmine can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Alpine Rock Jasmine is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is alpine rock jasmine?

Alpine Rock Jasmine is rated USDA 4-7 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can alpine rock jasmine 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 alpine rock jasmine below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.