Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Marie's Davallia (Davallia mariesii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Marie's Davallia, Ball Fern, Squirrel's Foot Fern, Japanese Hare's Foot Fern.

More about marie's davallia

About Marie's Davallia

Davallia mariesii · also called Marie's Davallia, Ball Fern · houseplant

Davallia mariesii is a delicate, deciduous epiphytic fern from East Asia — Japan, Korea, and China — prized for its finely dissected, lacy fronds and its distinctive furry, pale-brown rhizomes that creep over the pot rim. It is one of the more cold-tolerant Davallia species and is traditionally trained into decorative moss balls (kokedama) in Japan.

Cold limit: USDA 6–9 · RHS H4 (5–25 °C)

Watch for — Frond drop / apparent death in winter: This is normal deciduous behaviour. Davallia mariesii naturally drops fronds in late autumn and becomes dormant through winter, especially in cooler conditions. Keep rhizomes barely moist and do not discard the plant — new fronds will emerge in spring as temperatures rise.

What marie's davallia's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — marie's davallia is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 6–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. On the US scale that maps to USDA 6–9 — 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 −10 to −5 °C. Marie's Davallia is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for marie's davallia as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °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 marie's davallia go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 6–9 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 marie's davallia can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Marie's Davallia hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is marie's davallia cold hardy?

Yes — marie's davallia is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 6–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Marie's Davallia is hardy across USDA 6–9; 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 marie's davallia can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Marie's Davallia is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is marie's davallia?

Marie's Davallia is rated USDA 6–9 and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can marie's davallia survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 6–9 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 marie's davallia below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °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.