Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Angel Wing Begonia (Begonia coccinea)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Angel Wing Begonia, Cane Begonia, Spotted Begonia.

More about angel wing begonia

About Angel Wing Begonia

Begonia coccinea · also called Angel Wing Begonia, Cane Begonia · flowering

Angel Wing Begonia (Begonia coccinea) is a cane-stemmed flowering houseplant prized for silver-spotted, wing-shaped leaves and dangling clusters of pink or red blooms. Give it bright indirect light, evenly moist soil, and warmth above 55F. It is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses per the ASPCA, so keep it out of pets' reach.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere (13-24C)

Watch for — Leaf drop and bud drop: Sudden temperature swings, cold drafts, or letting the soil fully dry out trigger dropping leaves and flower buds. Keep it above 55F (13C) away from drafts and maintain even moisture.

What angel wing begonia's hardiness rating actually means

Angel Wing Begonia 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 10-11 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere — 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). Angel Wing Begonia has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Angel Wing Begonia hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is angel wing begonia cold hardy?

Angel Wing Begonia 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. Angel Wing Begonia can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature angel wing begonia can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is angel wing begonia?

Angel Wing Begonia is rated USDA 10-11 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can angel wing begonia 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 angel wing begonia 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.