Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Guzmania (Guzmania lingulata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called scarlet star, tufted airplant, orange star.

About Guzmania

Guzmania lingulata · also called scarlet star, tufted airplant · tropical

Guzmania is a tropical bromeliad grown for the long-lasting bright bract that rises from the centre of its leaf rosette. The rosette flowers once then slowly dies, producing offsets called pups around the base. Pet-safe and undemanding given warmth and a watered central cup.

Guzmania species are mostly epiphytic bromeliads from the humid tropical rainforests of Central and South America, where roots anchor them to tree bark rather than draw water.

Monocarpic: the rosette flowers once then slowly dies, producing offsets ('pups') at the base that are detached and grown on to replace the parent.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Sources: missouribotanicalgarden.org, gardeningknowhow.com

What guzmania's hardiness rating actually means

Guzmania 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 10-11 (indoor in most US homes) — 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). Guzmania has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Guzmania hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is guzmania cold hardy?

Guzmania 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. Guzmania can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature guzmania can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Guzmania has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is guzmania?

Guzmania is rated USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can guzmania 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 guzmania 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.