Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Medlar (Mespilus germanica)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called medlar, common medlar.

More about medlar

About Medlar

Mespilus germanica · also called medlar, common medlar · edible

The medlar is an old-fashioned, hardy fruit tree with large white spring blossom and russet-brown fruit eaten after 'bletting' (softening past ripeness) into a spiced apple-butter texture. Picturesque and gnarled with age, it is undemanding, self-fertile and disease-resistant, making an ornamental small tree for orchards and lawns alike.

Cold limit: USDA 5-8 · RHS H6 (-25 to 30°C)

Watch for — Confusion over harvest timing: Fruit is hard and astringent until bletted; pick in late autumn after the first frosts and store until soft and brown before eating, or it is inedible.

What medlar's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — medlar 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. Medlar is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for medlar 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 medlar 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 medlar can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Medlar hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is medlar cold hardy?

Yes — medlar 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. Medlar 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 medlar can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is medlar?

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

Can medlar 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 medlar 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.