Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Falconer's Sundew (Drosera falconeri)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Falconer's sundew.

More about falconer's sundew

About Falconer's Sundew

Drosera falconeri · also called Falconer's sundew · tropical

Drosera falconeri is one of the most distinctive members of the petiolaris complex, native to the seasonally flooded black-soil plains and paperbark swamps of the Northern Territory, Australia. It produces unusually broad, spoon-shaped to almost circular leaves — the widest of any Drosera in the complex — held on short petioles, and is renowned among carnivorous plant collectors for its striking appearance. The single most critical care requirement is a hot, wet growing season (regularly above 30 °C) followed by a warm dry rest; it is highly intolerant of cold and stagnant waterlogging outside the active season. Drosera is not listed as toxic to cats or dogs by the ASPCA and is considered non-toxic to pets.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (indoor in most climates) · RHS H1b (22–40 °C (growing); 18–30 °C (rest))

Watch for — Leaf collapse and flattening without dew: Broad leaves with poor mucilage production indicate heat stress, low humidity, or root problems. Check that soil is consistently moist during the growing season, raise humidity above 65%, and verify the growing temperature exceeds 25 °C.

What falconer's sundew's hardiness rating actually means

Falconer's Sundew 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 climates) — 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). Falconer's Sundew has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Falconer's Sundew hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is falconer's sundew cold hardy?

Falconer's Sundew 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. Falconer's Sundew can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (indoor in most climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature falconer's sundew can survive?

What hardiness zone is falconer's sundew?

Falconer's Sundew is rated USDA 10-12 (indoor in most climates) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can falconer's sundew 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 falconer's sundew 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.