Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeeana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Shrimp plant, Mexican shrimp plant, False hop, Shrimp bush.

More about shrimp plant

About Shrimp Plant

Justicia brandegeeana · also called Shrimp plant, Mexican shrimp plant · flowering

The shrimp plant (Justicia brandegeeana) is a tropical evergreen shrub in the acanthus family, prized for arching spikes of red-bronze bracts that resemble a shrimp and bloom nearly year-round. Give it bright light, evenly moist soil, and warmth. Not individually listed by the ASPCA, so treat it as mildly toxic and verify with your vet.

Cold limit: USDA USDA 9-11 (roots may survive in zone 8 with heavy mulch; RHS hardiness H1B). Grown as a houseplant or summer container plant in colder zones. (16-29C ideal; keep above 10C)

Watch for — Leggy, sparse growth: Stems naturally stretch and flop with age. Pinch growing tips regularly and prune hard in late winter or early spring to force bushier growth and more bracts; very old plants are best replaced from cuttings.

What shrimp plant's hardiness rating actually means

Shrimp 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 USDA 9-11 (roots may survive in zone 8 with heavy mulch; RHS hardiness H1B). Grown as a houseplant or summer container plant in colder zones. — 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. Shrimp Plant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for shrimp 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 shrimp plant go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA USDA 9-11 (roots may survive in zone 8 with heavy mulch; RHS hardiness H1B). Grown as a houseplant or summer container plant in colder zones. 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 shrimp 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 shrimp plant

Shrimp 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.

Shrimp Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is shrimp plant cold hardy?

Shrimp 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 USDA 9-11 (roots may survive in zone 8 with heavy mulch; RHS hardiness H1B). Grown as a houseplant or summer container plant in colder zones. (and sheltered UK gardens) shrimp 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 shrimp plant can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is shrimp plant?

Shrimp Plant is rated USDA USDA 9-11 (roots may survive in zone 8 with heavy mulch; RHS hardiness H1B). Grown as a houseplant or summer container plant in colder zones. and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can shrimp plant survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA USDA 9-11 (roots may survive in zone 8 with heavy mulch; RHS hardiness H1B). Grown as a houseplant or summer container plant in colder zones. 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 shrimp 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.