Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Cut-Leaved Cranesbill (Geranium dissectum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Cut-Leaved Cranesbill, Cutleaf Geranium.

More about cut-leaved cranesbill

About Cut-Leaved Cranesbill

Geranium dissectum · also called Cut-Leaved Cranesbill, Cutleaf Geranium · flowering

Geranium dissectum is a softly hairy annual native to Europe and western Asia, widely naturalised in North America and Australasia, growing in arable fields, roadsides, disturbed ground and open grassy places. It bears small, notched, deep pink to purplish-red flowers from May to August above very finely dissected, almost feathery foliage that provides a distinctive texture. It requires full sun and a moderately fertile, moist but free-draining soil to grow well. True cranesbill Geranium species are not listed as toxic to pets by the ASPCA, and this species is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H6 (-15 to 25°C)

What cut-leaved cranesbill's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — cut-leaved cranesbill is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9, 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 5-9 — 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. Cut-Leaved Cranesbill is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for cut-leaved cranesbill 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 cut-leaved cranesbill go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 cut-leaved cranesbill can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Cut-Leaved Cranesbill hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is cut-leaved cranesbill cold hardy?

Yes — cut-leaved cranesbill is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Cut-Leaved Cranesbill is hardy across USDA 5-9; 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 cut-leaved cranesbill can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is cut-leaved cranesbill?

Cut-Leaved Cranesbill is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can cut-leaved cranesbill survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 cut-leaved cranesbill 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.