Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Bladder Cherry (Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Bladder Cherry, Chinese Lantern, Franchet's Ground Cherry.

More about bladder cherry

About Bladder Cherry

Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii · also called Bladder Cherry, Chinese Lantern · flowering

Bladder Cherry is a large-fruited variety of Physalis alkekengi selected for its especially showy, oversized orange-red papery calyces. It is grown primarily as an ornamental for autumn and winter dried arrangements. Extremely cold-hardy and vigorous, it spreads by rhizomes. As with the species, unripe berries and green parts are toxic to pets.

Cold limit: USDA 3–9 · RHS H7 (-20 to 35 °C)

What bladder cherry's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — bladder cherry is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3–9 — 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 below about −20 °C. Bladder Cherry is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for bladder cherry as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can bladder cherry go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3–9 and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

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 bladder cherry can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Bladder Cherry hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is bladder cherry cold hardy?

Yes — bladder cherry is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Bladder Cherry is hardy across USDA 3–9; it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature bladder cherry can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Bladder Cherry is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is bladder cherry?

Bladder Cherry is rated USDA 3–9 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can bladder cherry survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3–9 and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to bladder cherry below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.