Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called aglaonema, silver evergreen, Philippine evergreen.

About Chinese evergreen

Aglaonema commutatum · also called aglaonema, silver evergreen · tropical

Chinese evergreen is a patterned-leaf aroid from Southeast Asia that handles low light better than almost any other variegated houseplant. Modern hybrids come in pink, red, and silver, all sharing the same easy-going temperament. Mildly toxic to pets.

Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen) is native to the tropical and subtropical rainforest understory of Asia and New Guinea, growing in warm, humid shade beneath the forest canopy with consistently moist soil.

It is a slow-to-moderate grower forming a clumping, cane-based rosette of patterned lance-shaped leaves. All parts contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and the plant is toxic to cats, dogs and horses (oral irritation, drooling, vomiting) per the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (indoor-only) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Slow growth: Light or temperature too low for active growth.

Sources: plants.ces.ncsu.edu, en.wikipedia.org, aspca.org

What chinese evergreen's hardiness rating actually means

Chinese evergreen 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 10-12 (indoor-only) — 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). Chinese evergreen has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for chinese evergreen 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 chinese evergreen 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 chinese evergreen can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Chinese evergreen hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is chinese evergreen cold hardy?

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

What is the minimum temperature chinese evergreen can survive?

What hardiness zone is chinese evergreen?

Chinese evergreen is rated USDA 10-12 (indoor-only) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can chinese evergreen 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 chinese evergreen 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.