Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Heavenly blue morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Heavenly blue morning glory, Mexican morning glory, Tricolor morning glory.

More about heavenly blue morning glory

About Heavenly blue morning glory

Ipomoea tricolor · also called Heavenly blue morning glory, Mexican morning glory · flowering

Ipomoea tricolor is a fast-growing Mexican annual vine famous for its large, sky-blue funnel flowers with white and yellow throats that open each morning and close by afternoon. 'Heavenly Blue' is the most celebrated cultivar. It covers fences, obelisks, and trellises rapidly in a single season from a spring sowing, requiring minimal care in full sun.

Cold limit: USDA 10–12 (grown as a tender annual in zones 3–9) · RHS H1c (15°C to 35°C)

What heavenly blue morning glory's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for heavenly blue morning glory: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10–12 (grown as a tender annual in zones 3–9) — 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

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for heavenly blue morning glory as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can heavenly blue morning glory go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

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 heavenly blue morning glory can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Frost protection for borderline heavenly blue morning glory

Heavenly blue morning glory is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Heavenly blue morning glory hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is heavenly blue morning glory cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for heavenly blue morning glory: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Heavenly blue morning glory is grown 10–12 (grown as a tender annual in zones 3–9); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature heavenly blue morning glory can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is heavenly blue morning glory?

Heavenly blue morning glory is rated USDA 10–12 (grown as a tender annual in zones 3–9) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can heavenly blue morning glory survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect heavenly blue morning glory from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.