Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' (Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Biokovo cranesbill, Biokovo Cambridge geranium.

More about geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo'

About Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo'

Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' · also called Biokovo cranesbill, Biokovo Cambridge geranium · flowering

'Biokovo' is a wild-collected Cambridge cranesbill forming low, spreading mats of aromatic semi-evergreen foliage studded with white flowers flushed pale pink at the base in early summer. Drought-tolerant, weed-suppressing and colouring richly in autumn, it is a top-rated ground cover and edging plant, named a Perennial Plant of the Year and holding an RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Cold limit: USDA 5-8 · RHS H7 (-29 to 30°C)

What geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo''s hardiness rating actually means

Yes — geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. 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 below about −20 °C. Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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 geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' 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 geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' cold hardy?

Yes — geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' 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 geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo'?

Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' is rated USDA 5-8 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' 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 geranium cantabrigiense 'biokovo' below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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.