Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' (Begonia coccinea 'Lucerna')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Cane Begonia.

More about angel wing begonia 'lucerna'

About Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna'

Begonia coccinea 'Lucerna' · also called Cane Begonia · flowering

'Lucerna' is a vigorous cane begonia with tall bamboo-like stems and large angel-wing leaves, deep green and silver-spotted above with red undersides. It produces big pendant clusters of coral-pink flowers nearly year-round in good light, growing upright to a metre or more, making it a classic, free-flowering houseplant or conservatory specimen.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US homes) · RHS H1b (16-27°C)

Watch for — Bud or flower drop: Sudden environmental swings, drafts, or dry soil cause buds to fall; keep watering and warmth steady.

What angel wing begonia 'lucerna''s hardiness rating actually means

Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US homes) — 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 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for angel wing begonia 'lucerna' as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can angel wing begonia 'lucerna' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

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 angel wing begonia 'lucerna' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is angel wing begonia 'lucerna' cold hardy?

Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature angel wing begonia 'lucerna' can survive?

What hardiness zone is angel wing begonia 'lucerna'?

Angel Wing Begonia 'Lucerna' is rated USDA 10-11 (grown indoors in most US homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can angel wing begonia 'lucerna' survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to angel wing begonia 'lucerna' below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.