Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mulberry Wine prickly heath (Gaultheria mucronata 'Mulberry Wine')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Mulberry Wine prickly heath, Mulberry Wine pernettya.

More about mulberry wine prickly heath

About Mulberry Wine prickly heath

Gaultheria mucronata 'Mulberry Wine' · also called Mulberry Wine prickly heath, Mulberry Wine pernettya · flowering

A female cultivar of prickly heath selected for its exceptionally large, deep magenta-purple berries that persist well into winter, deepening in colour with age. Small, spine-tipped, glossy dark green leaves and tiny white bell flowers precede the fruit. Requires a nearby male plant to set berries. Best in acidic soil; excellent in containers. Toxic if ingested.

Cold limit: USDA 6-9 · RHS H5 (-15 to 20°C)

Watch for — Severe frost damage to berries: While the plant itself is frost-hardy, prolonged hard frosts may damage the ornamental berries. If a prolonged freeze below -10°C is forecast, move container-grown plants under glass or into a sheltered porch.

What mulberry wine prickly heath's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — mulberry wine prickly heath is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 6-9, 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 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 −15 to −10 °C. Mulberry Wine prickly heath is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for mulberry wine prickly heath 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 mulberry wine prickly heath 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 mulberry wine prickly heath can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Mulberry Wine prickly heath hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mulberry wine prickly heath cold hardy?

Yes — mulberry wine prickly heath is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 6-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Mulberry Wine prickly heath 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 mulberry wine prickly heath can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is mulberry wine prickly heath?

Mulberry Wine prickly heath is rated USDA 6-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can mulberry wine prickly heath 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 mulberry wine prickly heath 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.