Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Hoya Sunrise (Hoya 'Sunrise' (lacunosa x obscura))cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Hoya Sunrise, Sunrise hoya, wax plant 'Sunrise'.

More about hoya sunrise

About Hoya Sunrise

Hoya 'Sunrise' (lacunosa x obscura) · also called Hoya Sunrise, Sunrise hoya · houseplant

Hoya 'Sunrise' is a compact wax-plant hybrid of Hoya lacunosa and Hoya obscura, prized for glossy veined leaves that flush deep red in bright light and clusters of fragrant white-to-pink star flowers. It is forgiving, drought-tolerant, and unusually sun-resistant. The Hoya genus is ASPCA-listed non-toxic, so it is considered pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US and UK homes) (16-29°C)

What hoya sunrise's hardiness rating actually means

Hoya Sunrise 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US and UK 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 5 °C (and never frost). Hoya Sunrise has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for hoya sunrise as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 hoya sunrise go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 hoya sunrise can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Hoya Sunrise hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is hoya sunrise cold hardy?

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

What is the minimum temperature hoya sunrise can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Hoya Sunrise has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is hoya sunrise?

Hoya Sunrise is rated USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US and UK homes) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can hoya sunrise survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 hoya sunrise below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.