Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Compassion Rose (Rosa 'Compassion')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Compassion, Harquest.

More about compassion rose

About Compassion Rose

Rosa 'Compassion' · also called Compassion, Harquest · flowering

Compassion is an outstanding repeat-flowering climber bred by Harkness in 1972 and holder of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Its fully double, salmon-pink blooms flushed with apricot reach about 10 cm across and carry a strong, sweet fragrance. Upright and vigorous with glossy dark foliage and good disease resistance, it suits walls, arches and pillars.

Cold limit: USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose) · RHS H6 (-21 to 32°C)

What compassion rose's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — compassion rose is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. On the US scale that maps to USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose) — 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 −20 to −15 °C. Compassion Rose is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for compassion rose as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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 compassion rose go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose) 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 compassion rose can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Compassion Rose hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is compassion rose cold hardy?

Yes — compassion rose is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Compassion Rose is hardy across USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose); 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 compassion rose can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Compassion Rose is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is compassion rose?

Compassion Rose is rated USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose) and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can compassion rose survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 6-9 (outdoor garden rose) 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 compassion rose below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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.