Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Bird's Foot Fern (Pellaea mucronata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Bird-Foot Cliffbrake, Mucronate Cliffbrake, Bird Foot Pellaea.

More about bird's foot fern

About Bird's Foot Fern

Pellaea mucronata · also called Bird-Foot Cliffbrake, Mucronate Cliffbrake · houseplant

Pellaea mucronata is a drought-tolerant rock fern native to dry, rocky slopes of the western United States. Its common name refers to the distinctive bird-foot-like arrangement of its small, rounded pinnae on dark wiry stems. Like other Pellaea, it suits bright conditions with infrequent watering. Pet safety is uncertain — treat as mildly toxic.

Cold limit: USDA 7-10 · RHS H3 (8-24°C)

Watch for — Frond die-back in winter: Normal seasonal dormancy in low light and cool temperatures. Remove dead fronds and reduce watering.

What bird's foot fern's hardiness rating actually means

Bird's Foot Fern is half-hardy (RHS H3). 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 H3 means: Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze. On the US scale that maps to USDA 7-10 — 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 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Bird's Foot Fern shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for bird's foot fern as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about −5 to 1 °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 bird's foot fern go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 7-10 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 bird's foot fern can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H3 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline bird's foot fern

Bird's Foot Fern 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.

Bird's Foot Fern hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is bird's foot fern cold hardy?

Bird's Foot Fern is half-hardy (RHS H3). 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 7-10 (and sheltered UK gardens) bird's foot fern can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature bird's foot fern can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Bird's Foot Fern shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is bird's foot fern?

Bird's Foot Fern is rated USDA 7-10 and RHS H3 — Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze.

Can bird's foot fern survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 7-10 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 bird's foot fern 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.