Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Codonatanthus 'Sunset' (Codonatanthus 'Sunset')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called sunset codonatanthus, sunset gesneriad.

More about codonatanthus 'sunset'

About Codonatanthus 'Sunset'

Codonatanthus 'Sunset' · also called sunset codonatanthus, sunset gesneriad · flowering

Codonatanthus 'Sunset' is a trailing gesneriad hybrid between Codonanthe and Nematanthus, combining glossy fleshy foliage with showy orange-to-coral tubular flowers. Grown as a free-flowering hanging-basket houseplant, it wants bright indirect light, an airy epiphytic mix, high humidity and warm, frost-free conditions, and blooms prolifically when well cared for indoors.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (indoor or warm-greenhouse plant in most US and UK homes) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Few flowers: Inadequate light is the main cause. Give bright indirect light and a bloom-formula feed; a cool, slightly drier winter rest also helps trigger heavier spring flowering.

What codonatanthus 'sunset''s hardiness rating actually means

Codonatanthus 'Sunset' 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 or warm-greenhouse plant in most US and UK homes) — 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). Codonatanthus 'Sunset' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Codonatanthus 'Sunset' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is codonatanthus 'sunset' cold hardy?

Codonatanthus 'Sunset' 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. Codonatanthus 'Sunset' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (indoor or warm-greenhouse plant in most US and UK homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature codonatanthus 'sunset' can survive?

What hardiness zone is codonatanthus 'sunset'?

Codonatanthus 'Sunset' is rated USDA 10-12 (indoor or warm-greenhouse plant in most US and UK homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can codonatanthus 'sunset' 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 codonatanthus 'sunset' 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.