Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Jelly Bean Plant (Sedum rubrotinctum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Pork and Beans, Jelly Beans.

More about jelly bean plant

About Jelly Bean Plant

Sedum rubrotinctum · also called Pork and Beans, Jelly Beans · houseplant

Sedum rubrotinctum is a cheerful trailing succulent whose plump, bean-shaped leaves turn from green to vivid red when stressed by sun and cool nights. It grows on lax stems that sprawl and root where they touch soil, making it easy to propagate. Bright light, gritty soil and infrequent watering bring out the strongest 'jelly bean' colour.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (indoor or as a summer container plant in most US regions) · RHS H2 (10-27°C)

What jelly bean plant's hardiness rating actually means

Jelly Bean Plant 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 as a summer container plant in most US 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. Jelly Bean Plant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for jelly bean plant 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 jelly bean plant 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 as a summer container plant in most US 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 jelly bean plant 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 jelly bean plant

Jelly Bean Plant 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.

Jelly Bean Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is jelly bean plant cold hardy?

Jelly Bean Plant 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 as a summer container plant in most US regions) (and sheltered UK gardens) jelly bean plant can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature jelly bean plant can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is jelly bean plant?

Jelly Bean Plant is rated USDA 9-11 (indoor or as a summer container plant in most US regions) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can jelly bean plant survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (indoor or as a summer container plant in most US 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 jelly bean plant 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.