Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) (Catharanthus roseus)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Madagascar periwinkle, Annual vinca, Rose periwinkle, Cape periwinkle, Running myrtle, Old maid.

More about madagascar periwinkle (vinca)

About Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca)

Catharanthus roseus · also called Madagascar periwinkle, Annual vinca · flowering

Madagascar periwinkle is a heat-loving flowering annual (perennial in zones 10-11) prized for non-stop pink, white, and rose blooms through hot, dry summers. Give it full sun, fast-draining soil, and water only when the top inch dries. Toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, per the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 10a-11b (perennial); grown as a summer annual in cooler zones (18-29 C)

Watch for — Yellowing leaves: Often from cold exposure (below ~15 C), overwatering, or waterlogged roots. Keep it warm and reduce watering; it sulks and yellows in cool, wet conditions.

What madagascar periwinkle (vinca)'s hardiness rating actually means

Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) 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 H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10a-11b (perennial); grown as a summer annual in cooler zones — 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 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for madagascar periwinkle (vinca) as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °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 madagascar periwinkle (vinca) go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °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 madagascar periwinkle (vinca) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is madagascar periwinkle (vinca) cold hardy?

Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) 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. Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10a-11b (perennial); grown as a summer annual in cooler zones); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature madagascar periwinkle (vinca) can survive?

What hardiness zone is madagascar periwinkle (vinca)?

Madagascar Periwinkle (Vinca) is rated USDA 10a-11b (perennial); grown as a summer annual in cooler zones and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can madagascar periwinkle (vinca) survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °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 madagascar periwinkle (vinca) below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °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.