Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Bleeding Heart Vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Bleeding Glory Bower, Bag Flower, Glory Bower.

More about bleeding heart vine

About Bleeding Heart Vine

Clerodendrum thomsoniae · also called Bleeding Glory Bower, Bag Flower · tropical

Clerodendrum thomsoniae is an elegant tropical twining vine from West Africa producing striking bicoloured flowers: pure white heart-shaped calyx lobes contrasting with vivid crimson petals. It flowers profusely in warm, bright conditions and is an excellent indoor climber. The ASPCA does not list it as toxic, but the Clerodendrum genus warrants caution.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 · RHS H1c (18-30°C)

Watch for — Leaf yellowing: Often caused by overwatering, poor drainage, or low temperatures; check roots for rot and reduce watering.

What bleeding heart vine's hardiness rating actually means

Bleeding Heart Vine 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 — 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). Bleeding Heart Vine has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Bleeding Heart Vine hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is bleeding heart vine cold hardy?

Bleeding Heart Vine 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. Bleeding Heart Vine can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature bleeding heart vine can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is bleeding heart vine?

Bleeding Heart Vine is rated USDA 10-12 and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can bleeding heart vine 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 bleeding heart vine 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.