Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' (Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Ballerina cranesbill, Ballerina grey-leaved geranium.

More about geranium cinereum 'ballerina'

About Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina'

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' · also called Ballerina cranesbill, Ballerina grey-leaved geranium · flowering

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' is a long-blooming alpine cranesbill forming a low rosette of soft grey-green leaves. From late spring it produces a long succession of cupped, pale lilac-pink flowers boldly veined and blotched in deep purple-maroon. Compact and sun-loving, it is ideal for rock gardens, troughs, gravel and the very front of well-drained borders.

Cold limit: USDA 5-8 · RHS H5 (-15 to 24°C)

Watch for — Crown and root rot: The single biggest killer, caused by heavy or wet soil, especially over winter. Plant in sharp drainage, add grit around the crown, and avoid mulching directly over the rosette.

What geranium cinereum 'ballerina''s hardiness rating actually means

Yes — geranium cinereum 'ballerina' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold 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 about −15 to −10 °C. Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for geranium cinereum 'ballerina' as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 cinereum 'ballerina' 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 cinereum 'ballerina' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is geranium cinereum 'ballerina' cold hardy?

Yes — geranium cinereum 'ballerina' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' 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 cinereum 'ballerina' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is geranium cinereum 'ballerina'?

Geranium cinereum 'Ballerina' is rated USDA 5-8 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can geranium cinereum 'ballerina' 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 cinereum 'ballerina' below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.