Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' (Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Coral Bells 'Raspberry Ice', Alumroot 'Raspberry Ice'.

More about heuchera 'raspberry ice'

About Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice'

Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' · also called Coral Bells 'Raspberry Ice', Alumroot 'Raspberry Ice' · flowering

Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' is a cool-toned evergreen perennial with ruffled silver-grey leaves edged with raspberry-pink margins and overlaid with dark veining. Its icy, bicolour foliage provides year-round interest, complemented by tall spikes of tiny pink flowers in summer. Hardy and easy to grow, it thrives in part shade. Non-toxic to pets per the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 4-9 · RHS H6 (5-25°C)

Watch for — Frost heave: Freezing and thawing can lift the shallow crown; firm back into the soil after thaw events and apply light mulch around (not over) the crown.

What heuchera 'raspberry ice''s hardiness rating actually means

Yes — heuchera 'raspberry ice' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. On the US scale that maps to USDA 4-9 — 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

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for heuchera 'raspberry ice' as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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 heuchera 'raspberry ice' go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 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 heuchera 'raspberry ice' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is heuchera 'raspberry ice' cold hardy?

Yes — heuchera 'raspberry ice' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' is hardy across USDA 4-9; 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 heuchera 'raspberry ice' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is heuchera 'raspberry ice'?

Heuchera 'Raspberry Ice' is rated USDA 4-9 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can heuchera 'raspberry ice' survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 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 heuchera 'raspberry ice' below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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.