Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Ivy-leaved cyclamen, Neapolitan cyclamen, Autumn cyclamen, Baby cyclamen.

More about ivy-leaved cyclamen

About Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen

Cyclamen hederifolium · also called Ivy-leaved cyclamen, Neapolitan cyclamen · flowering

Cyclamen hederifolium is a robust tuberous perennial native to southern Europe and Turkey, widely naturalised across the UK, and the easiest and most vigorous garden cyclamen, producing masses of reflexed pink or white flowers from August to November before its beautifully patterned, ivy-shaped leaves emerge to decorate the ground through winter. Exceptionally long-lived — individual tubers can exceed 100 years and reach 30 cm across — it thrives in dry shade under trees where little else will grow. Plant tubers shallowly in the autumn and leave them completely undisturbed. All parts are highly toxic to cats and dogs due to saponins.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H5 (-15 to 22 °C)

What ivy-leaved cyclamen's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — ivy-leaved cyclamen is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-9 — 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 −15 to −10 °C. Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for ivy-leaved cyclamen as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 ivy-leaved cyclamen go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 ivy-leaved cyclamen can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is ivy-leaved cyclamen cold hardy?

Yes — ivy-leaved cyclamen is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen is hardy across USDA 5-9; 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 ivy-leaved cyclamen can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is ivy-leaved cyclamen?

Ivy-Leaved Cyclamen is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can ivy-leaved cyclamen survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 ivy-leaved cyclamen below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.