Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Eleanor Roosevelt Croton (Codiaeum variegatum 'Eleanor Roosevelt')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Eleanor Roosevelt croton.

More about eleanor roosevelt croton

About Eleanor Roosevelt Croton

Codiaeum variegatum 'Eleanor Roosevelt' · also called Eleanor Roosevelt croton · tropical

'Eleanor Roosevelt' is a slender-leaved croton with small, narrow foliage densely speckled and splashed in yellow, gold, and burgundy over deep green and purple. Its fine, freckled leaves form a dense, colourful bush. As with all crotons it needs bright light for full colour, steady warmth, and humidity, and will drop leaves in response to cold, dryness, or sudden relocation.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1b (18-29°C)

Watch for — Leaf drop: Provoked by moving the plant, cold drafts, low temperatures, or drying out. Keep its position and watering stable to limit shedding.

What eleanor roosevelt croton's hardiness rating actually means

Eleanor Roosevelt Croton 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 in most US 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). Eleanor Roosevelt Croton has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Eleanor Roosevelt Croton hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is eleanor roosevelt croton cold hardy?

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

What is the minimum temperature eleanor roosevelt croton can survive?

What hardiness zone is eleanor roosevelt croton?

Eleanor Roosevelt Croton is rated USDA 10-12 (indoor in most US homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can eleanor roosevelt croton 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 eleanor roosevelt croton 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.