Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is King of Hearts Bleeding Heart (Dicentra 'King of Hearts')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called King of Hearts bleeding heart, dwarf rose bleeding heart.

More about king of hearts bleeding heart

About King of Hearts Bleeding Heart

Dicentra 'King of Hearts' · also called King of Hearts bleeding heart, dwarf rose bleeding heart · flowering

'King of Hearts' is a dwarf, compact bleeding heart hybrid with finely cut, glaucous blue-grey foliage and rich rose-pink heart-shaped flowers. It blooms heavily from late spring well into autumn, tolerates more sun and heat than older bleeding hearts, and stays low and tidy, making it ideal for the front of a shaded border or rock garden.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H6 (13-24°C)

What king of hearts bleeding heart's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — king of hearts bleeding heart is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. 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 −20 to −15 °C. King of Hearts Bleeding Heart is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for king of hearts bleeding heart as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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 king of hearts bleeding heart 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 king of hearts bleeding heart can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

King of Hearts Bleeding Heart hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is king of hearts bleeding heart cold hardy?

Yes — king of hearts bleeding heart is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. King of Hearts Bleeding Heart 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 king of hearts bleeding heart can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. King of Hearts Bleeding Heart is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is king of hearts bleeding heart?

King of Hearts Bleeding Heart is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can king of hearts bleeding heart 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 king of hearts bleeding heart below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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.