Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Geranium sanguineum var. striatum (Geranium sanguineum var. striatum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Striped bloody cranesbill, Lancastrian geranium.

More about geranium sanguineum var. striatum

About Geranium sanguineum var. striatum

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum · also called Striped bloody cranesbill, Lancastrian geranium · flowering

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum is a low, mat-forming bloody cranesbill bearing pale shell-pink flowers delicately veined with darker pink, over finely dissected dark-green leaves that redden in autumn. Flowering generously from early to late summer, it is a tough, sun-loving, drought-tolerant groundcover that holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit and excels at the front of dry, sunny borders.

Cold limit: USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy perennial) · RHS H7 (-25 to 27°C)

What geranium sanguineum var. striatum's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — geranium sanguineum var. striatum is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy perennial), 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 3-8 (outdoor hardy 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 below about −20 °C. Geranium sanguineum var. striatum is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for geranium sanguineum var. striatum 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 sanguineum var. striatum go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy 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 sanguineum var. striatum can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is geranium sanguineum var. striatum cold hardy?

Yes — geranium sanguineum var. striatum is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy perennial), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Geranium sanguineum var. striatum is hardy across USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy 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 sanguineum var. striatum can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is geranium sanguineum var. striatum?

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum is rated USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy perennial) and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can geranium sanguineum var. striatum survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 (outdoor hardy 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 sanguineum var. striatum 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.