Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' (Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called SunPatiens Hot Coral, New Guinea Impatiens Hot Coral.

More about impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral'

About Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral'

Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' · also called SunPatiens Hot Coral, New Guinea Impatiens Hot Coral · flowering

A sun-tolerant New Guinea-type impatiens from the SunPatiens range, bearing large vivid coral-orange flowers over bronze-green foliage. Unlike classic busy lizzies it thrives in full sun as well as part shade, flowering vigorously all summer. Compact and robust, it needs rich, consistently moist soil and regular feeding, and is bred for excellent heat and downy-mildew tolerance.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) · RHS H2 (16-29°C)

What impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral''s hardiness rating actually means

Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' 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 10-12 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) — 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. Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' 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 impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 10-12 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) 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 impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' 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 impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral'

Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' 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.

Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' cold hardy?

Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' 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 10-12 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) (and sheltered UK gardens) impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' can survive?

What hardiness zone is impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral'?

Impatiens hawkeri 'SunPatiens Compact Hot Coral' is rated USDA 10-12 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 10-12 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) 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 impatiens hawkeri 'sunpatiens compact hot coral' 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.