Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Hedgehog Cactus (Echinopsis subdenudata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Domino Cactus, Easter Lily Cactus, Night Queen.

More about hedgehog cactus

About Hedgehog Cactus

Echinopsis subdenudata · also called Domino Cactus, Easter Lily Cactus · flowering

Echinopsis subdenudata is a small, nearly spineless globular cactus with a smooth green ribbed body dotted with tufts of white wool. From this unassuming body it produces astonishingly large, fragrant white trumpet flowers on long tubes that open at night. Compact, slow, and easy, it is an ideal flowering cactus for a sunny windowsill.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (indoor or under cover in most US homes) · RHS H2 (16-29°C)

Watch for — No flowers: Caused by a warm, watered winter. Provide a cool (around 8-10°C), dry rest to trigger the large night blooms.

What hedgehog cactus's hardiness rating actually means

Hedgehog Cactus is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 (indoor or under cover 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Hedgehog Cactus shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for hedgehog cactus as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can hedgehog cactus go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (indoor or under cover in most US homes) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 hedgehog cactus can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline hedgehog cactus

Hedgehog Cactus is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Hedgehog Cactus hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is hedgehog cactus cold hardy?

Hedgehog Cactus is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9-11 (indoor or under cover in most US homes) (and sheltered UK gardens) hedgehog cactus can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature hedgehog cactus can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Hedgehog Cactus shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is hedgehog cactus?

Hedgehog Cactus is rated USDA 9-11 (indoor or under cover in most US homes) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can hedgehog cactus survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (indoor or under cover in most US homes) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect hedgehog cactus from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.