Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Australian Cabbage Palm (Livistona australis)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Australian Cabbage Palm, Cabbage Palm, Gippsland Palm, Australian Fan Palm.

More about australian cabbage palm

About Australian Cabbage Palm

Livistona australis · also called Australian Cabbage Palm, Cabbage Palm · tropical

Livistona australis is a tall, single-trunked fan palm native to the coastal rainforest and wet sclerophyll forests of eastern Australia, from Queensland south to Victoria. It grows slowly to impressive heights and produces large, glossy, dark-green, fan-shaped leaves on long, spiny petioles. The most important care consideration is that it is frost-tender and suitable for outdoor cultivation only in near-frost-free climates (USDA zones 9b–11); in the UK it requires glasshouse protection except in the warmest coastal gardens. Livistona australis has no known toxicity to cats or dogs, though it has not been individually listed by the ASPCA and this should be verified with a veterinarian for sensitive animals.

Cold limit: USDA 9b-11 · RHS H2 (0 to 38 °C)

Watch for — Frost and cold damage: Even brief exposure below 0 °C (32 °F) damages fronds and prolonged cold kills the growing tip; in temperate climates, keep under glass from October to May and insulate container roots during cold snaps.

What australian cabbage palm's hardiness rating actually means

Australian Cabbage Palm is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9b-11 — 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Australian Cabbage Palm shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for australian cabbage palm as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can australian cabbage palm go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9b-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 australian cabbage palm can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline australian cabbage palm

Australian Cabbage Palm is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Australian Cabbage Palm hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is australian cabbage palm cold hardy?

Australian Cabbage Palm is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9b-11 (and sheltered UK gardens) australian cabbage palm can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature australian cabbage palm can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Australian Cabbage Palm shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is australian cabbage palm?

Australian Cabbage Palm is rated USDA 9b-11 and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can australian cabbage palm survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9b-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect australian cabbage palm from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.