Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern (Davallia griffithiana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Griffith's Davallia, Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern.

More about blue rabbit's foot fern

About Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern

Davallia griffithiana · also called Griffith's Davallia, Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern · houseplant

Davallia griffithiana is a rabbit's foot fern prized for the silvery, blue-grey furry rhizomes that creep over the pot rim and for finely divided, lacy fronds. The fuzzy surface rhizomes do the water absorbing, so it suits hanging baskets and shallow pots. Easy and forgiving, it likes bright indirect light, steady humidity, and a never-soggy mix.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 outdoors; houseplant elsewhere · RHS H1c (16-24°C)

What blue rabbit's foot fern's hardiness rating actually means

Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern 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; 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). Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for blue rabbit's foot fern 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 blue rabbit's foot fern 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 blue rabbit's foot fern can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is blue rabbit's foot fern cold hardy?

Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern 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. Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 outdoors; houseplant elsewhere); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

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

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is blue rabbit's foot fern?

Blue Rabbit's Foot Fern is rated USDA 10-11 outdoors; houseplant elsewhere and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can blue rabbit's foot fern 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 blue rabbit's foot fern 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.