Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace' (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Burgundy Lace')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Burgundy Lace painted fern.

More about painted fern 'burgundy lace'

About Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace'

Athyrium niponicum var. pictum 'Burgundy Lace' · also called Burgundy Lace painted fern · houseplant

'Burgundy Lace' is a striking Japanese painted fern with deep wine-red and purple infusing its silvery, finely cut fronds, the colour strongest on new growth and along the stems. A hardy deciduous woodland fern, it prefers cool part-shade and moist, humus-rich soil. Indoors it wants bright shade, even moisture and a cool dormant winter.

Cold limit: USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern) · RHS H7 (13-22°C)

Watch for — Winter die-back: Normal for a deciduous fern. Fronds die down in autumn; cut them off, keep the crown lightly moist, and it returns in spring.

What painted fern 'burgundy lace''s hardiness rating actually means

Yes — painted fern 'burgundy lace' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern), 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 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern) — 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. Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for painted fern 'burgundy lace' 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 painted fern 'burgundy lace' go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern) 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 painted fern 'burgundy lace' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is painted fern 'burgundy lace' cold hardy?

Yes — painted fern 'burgundy lace' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace' is hardy across USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern); 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 painted fern 'burgundy lace' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is painted fern 'burgundy lace'?

Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace' is rated USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern) and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can painted fern 'burgundy lace' survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 (fully hardy garden fern) 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 painted fern 'burgundy lace' 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.