Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Burnet Rose (Rosa pimpinellifolia)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Burnet Rose, Scotch Rose, Pimpinel Rose, Bibernell Rose.

More about burnet rose

About Burnet Rose

Rosa pimpinellifolia · also called Burnet Rose, Scotch Rose · flowering

Rosa pimpinellifolia (syn. Rosa spinosissima) is a compact, very thorny, suckering species rose native to sand dunes, chalk grassland and moorland across Europe and western Asia, bearing a profusion of creamy-white, lightly fragrant single flowers in late spring followed by distinctive dark-maroon to near-black rounded hips. It is one of the hardiest rose species in cultivation, tolerating coastal exposure, poor sandy soils and intense frost. The most important care fact is to give it ample space as it spreads vigorously by suckers. Rosa is listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs and horses by the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 3-8 · RHS H7 (-25 to 28°C)

What burnet rose's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — burnet rose is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8, 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 3-8 — 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. Burnet Rose is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for burnet rose 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 burnet rose go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 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 burnet rose can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Burnet Rose hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is burnet rose cold hardy?

Yes — burnet rose is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Burnet Rose is hardy across USDA 3-8; 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 burnet rose can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is burnet rose?

Burnet Rose is rated USDA 3-8 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can burnet rose survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 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 burnet rose 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.