Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Creeping Speedwell (Veronica repens)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Creeping Speedwell, Corsican Speedwell.

More about creeping speedwell

About Creeping Speedwell

Veronica repens · also called Creeping Speedwell, Corsican Speedwell · flowering

Creeping Speedwell is a low, mat-forming perennial native to Corsica and southern Europe. It produces a carpet of tiny bright blue flowers in spring and thrives in cool, moist conditions. Excellent as a ground cover or between stepping stones, it tolerates light foot traffic and spreads readily in suitable climates.

Cold limit: USDA 5–8 · RHS H6 (5–20°C)

What creeping speedwell's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — creeping speedwell is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5–8, 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 5–8 — 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 about −20 to −15 °C. Creeping Speedwell is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for creeping speedwell 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 creeping speedwell go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5–8 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 creeping speedwell can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Creeping Speedwell hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is creeping speedwell cold hardy?

Yes — creeping speedwell is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5–8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Creeping Speedwell is hardy across USDA 5–8; 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 creeping speedwell can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is creeping speedwell?

Creeping Speedwell is rated USDA 5–8 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can creeping speedwell survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5–8 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 creeping speedwell 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.