Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called love-lies-bleeding, tassel flower, velvet flower, pendant amaranth, quilete.

More about love-lies-bleeding

About Love-lies-bleeding

Amaranthus caudatus · also called love-lies-bleeding, tassel flower · flowering

Love-lies-bleeding is a dramatic warm-season annual grown for its long, pendulous, deep crimson flower tassels that drape from sturdy stems up to 1.5 m tall. Native to South America, it thrives in heat, full sun and well-drained soil. Its grain and leaves are edible in some cultures, but Amaranthus retroflexus (a close relative) is ASPCA-listed as toxic; treat ornamental Amaranthus with caution around pets.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (grown as a warm-season annual in zones 2-8) · RHS H2 (18-32°C)

What love-lies-bleeding's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for love-lies-bleeding: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". 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 (grown as a warm-season annual in zones 2-8) — 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

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for love-lies-bleeding as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can love-lies-bleeding go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

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 love-lies-bleeding 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 love-lies-bleeding

Love-lies-bleeding is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Love-lies-bleeding hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is love-lies-bleeding cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for love-lies-bleeding: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Love-lies-bleeding is grown 9-11 (grown as a warm-season annual in zones 2-8); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature love-lies-bleeding can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is love-lies-bleeding?

Love-lies-bleeding is rated USDA 9-11 (grown as a warm-season annual in zones 2-8) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can love-lies-bleeding survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect love-lies-bleeding from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.