Cold hardiness & minimum temperature
Is Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' (Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp
Also called Phillipe Vapelle cranesbill.
More about geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle'
About Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle'
Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' · also called Phillipe Vapelle cranesbill · flowering
'Phillipe Vapelle' is a robust renardii hybrid combining velvety, sage-grey, scalloped foliage with larger, richer violet-blue flowers heavily veined in deep purple through early to midsummer. More free-flowering and slightly bigger than the species, this RHS Award of Garden Merit perennial thrives in sun and well-drained soil, forms a neat mound and dies back over winter.
Cold limit: USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial) · RHS H5 (-23 to 27°C)
Watch for — Rot in heavy wet soil: Crown rots in poorly drained or waterlogged ground. Ensure free-draining, gritty soil and avoid overwatering, especially over winter.
What geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle''s hardiness rating actually means
Yes — geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial), 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 (outdoor perennial) — 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 renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.
Concretely, for geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle' 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 renardii 'phillipe vapelle' go outside or overwinter — and where?
- Plant it out within USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial) 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 renardii 'phillipe vapelle' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.
Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' hardiness — frequently asked questions
Is geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle' cold hardy?
Yes — geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' is hardy across USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial); 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 renardii 'phillipe vapelle' can survive?
Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.
What hardiness zone is geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle'?
Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' is rated USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.
Can geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle' survive winter outside?
Plant it out within USDA 5-8 (outdoor perennial) 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 renardii 'phillipe vapelle' 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.
Keep reading
- Geranium renardii 'Phillipe Vapelle' care — the full brief (light, water, soil, problems, pet safety)
- USDA hardiness zones — find yours and what grows there
- Is geranium renardii 'phillipe vapelle' hardy in the UK? — the RHS-rating version
- RHS hardiness ratings — the UK system explained
- Frost-date calculator — your real outdoor window
- The USDA hardiness zone map, explained
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