Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

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

Also called Nottingham medlar.

More about medlar 'nottingham'

About Medlar 'Nottingham'

Mespilus germanica 'Nottingham' · also called Nottingham medlar · edible

'Nottingham' is the classic culinary medlar — a small, gnarled, ornamental deciduous tree bearing russet-brown apple-rose fruit that must be bletted (softened by frost or storage) before eating, giving a spiced, applesauce-like pulp. Self-fertile and hardy to around minus 20 Celsius, it thrives in full sun on moist, well-drained soil and tolerates British conditions superbly.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H5 (-20 to 32°C)

Watch for — Eaten before bletting: Fresh-picked medlars are hard and astringent. Fruit must be bletted — softened by frost or several weeks in storage — until brown and squishy before it becomes edible and sweet.

What medlar 'nottingham''s hardiness rating actually means

Yes — medlar 'nottingham' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-9 — 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 −15 to −10 °C. Medlar 'Nottingham' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for medlar 'nottingham' as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 'nottingham' go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 medlar 'nottingham' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Medlar 'Nottingham' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is medlar 'nottingham' cold hardy?

Yes — medlar 'nottingham' is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Medlar 'Nottingham' is hardy across USDA 5-9; 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 medlar 'nottingham' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Medlar 'Nottingham' is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is medlar 'nottingham'?

Medlar 'Nottingham' is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can medlar 'nottingham' survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 medlar 'nottingham' below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.