Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Bacopa (Sutera cordata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Bacopa, Snowflake flower, Sutera.

More about bacopa

About Bacopa

Sutera cordata · also called Bacopa, Snowflake flower · flowering

A South African tender perennial widely grown as a trailing annual for containers and hanging baskets, bacopa produces a dense cascade of tiny five-petalled flowers in white, pink, or lavender. It excels in cool-season conditions, performing best in spring and autumn and sulking in high summer heat, making it ideal for mixed planters and window boxes.

Cold limit: USDA 9–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–8) · RHS H2 (5–25°C)

Watch for — Summer heat stress and flower drop: Bacopa is a cool-season plant and typically stops flowering or drops buds when temperatures exceed 30°C. Move containers to a shadier, cooler position, reduce feeding, and water consistently. Flowering resumes strongly as temperatures cool in early autumn.

What bacopa's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for bacopa: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". 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 9–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–8) — 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

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for bacopa as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can bacopa go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

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 bacopa 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 bacopa

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

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Bacopa hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is bacopa cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for bacopa: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Bacopa is grown 9–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–8); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature bacopa can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is bacopa?

Bacopa is rated USDA 9–11 (grown as annual in zones 3–8) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can bacopa survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect bacopa from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.