Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Arabian Jasmine (Jasminum sambac)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Arabian Jasmine, Sampaguita, Mogra.

More about arabian jasmine

About Arabian Jasmine

Jasminum sambac · also called Arabian Jasmine, Sampaguita · flowering

Arabian jasmine is a tender evergreen scrambling shrub or short climber grown for its waxy white, powerfully fragrant flowers that open in the evening and are used in garlands, teas and perfumes. The national flower of the Philippines and Indonesia, it loves heat and humidity and is best grown in containers and overwintered indoors in cool climates.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (tender; indoor/conservatory in most US and UK homes) · RHS H1c (18-30°C)

Watch for — Cold damage: It is frost-tender and suffers below about 10°C. Move containers indoors before autumn cold; sustained cold causes leaf drop and dieback.

What arabian jasmine's hardiness rating actually means

Arabian Jasmine 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 9-11 (tender; indoor/conservatory in most US and UK homes) — 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). Arabian Jasmine has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for arabian jasmine 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 arabian jasmine 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 arabian jasmine can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Arabian Jasmine hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is arabian jasmine cold hardy?

Arabian Jasmine 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. Arabian Jasmine can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9-11 (tender; indoor/conservatory in most US and UK homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature arabian jasmine can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is arabian jasmine?

Arabian Jasmine is rated USDA 9-11 (tender; indoor/conservatory in most US and UK homes) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can arabian jasmine 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 arabian jasmine 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.