Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called crane flower, Strelitzia.

About Bird of paradise

Strelitzia reginae · also called crane flower, Strelitzia · flowering

Bird of paradise is a striking South African banana relative grown for its paddle leaves and crane-shaped orange flowers. Indoors it grows to roughly 1.5-2 m and needs the brightest spot in the house. Mildly toxic to pets.

Strelitzia reginae is endemic to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal of South Africa, where it grows in coastal bush, riverbanks and clearings. Its rigid beak-like spathe sits perpendicular to the stem to form a durable perch for the sunbirds that pollinate it.

Slow to establish and typically does not bloom until it is several years old and well-rooted, after which clumps thicken and flower repeatedly given enough light and a settled, undisturbed root run.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (outdoors), indoor elsewhere · RHS H1c (18-27°C)

Sources: aspca.org, hort.extension.wisc.edu, en.wikipedia.org, powo.science.kew.org

What bird of paradise's hardiness rating actually means

Bird of paradise 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 10-12 (outdoors), indoor 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). Bird of paradise has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Bird of paradise hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is bird of paradise cold hardy?

Bird of paradise 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. Bird of paradise can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (outdoors), indoor elsewhere); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature bird of paradise can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is bird of paradise?

Bird of paradise is rated USDA 10-12 (outdoors), indoor elsewhere and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can bird of paradise 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 bird of paradise 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.