Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mahonia aquifolium Apollo (Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Apollo Oregon Grape, Low Oregon Grape.

More about mahonia aquifolium apollo

About Mahonia aquifolium Apollo

Mahonia aquifolium 'Apollo' · also called Apollo Oregon Grape, Low Oregon Grape · flowering

'Apollo' is a compact, low-spreading Oregon grape with glossy, holly-like evergreen leaflets that flush bronze in cold weather. Dense clusters of fragrant deep-yellow flowers open in spring, followed by blue-black, grape-like berries. Tough, shade-tolerant and good for ground cover or low informal hedging, it earned an RHS Award of Garden Merit for reliable performance.

Cold limit: USDA 5-8 · RHS H6 (-20 to 25°C)

What mahonia aquifolium apollo's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — mahonia aquifolium apollo is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-8, 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 5-8 — 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

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Mahonia aquifolium Apollo is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for mahonia aquifolium apollo 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 mahonia aquifolium apollo go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-8 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 mahonia aquifolium apollo can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Mahonia aquifolium Apollo hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mahonia aquifolium apollo cold hardy?

Yes — mahonia aquifolium apollo is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Mahonia aquifolium Apollo is hardy across USDA 5-8; 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 mahonia aquifolium apollo can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Mahonia aquifolium Apollo is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is mahonia aquifolium apollo?

Mahonia aquifolium Apollo is rated USDA 5-8 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can mahonia aquifolium apollo survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-8 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 mahonia aquifolium apollo 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.