Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' (Neoregelia 'Painted Lady')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called painted lady bromeliad.

More about neoregelia 'painted lady'

About Neoregelia 'Painted Lady'

Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' · also called painted lady bromeliad · tropical

Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' is a hybrid tank bromeliad grown for its vividly variegated rosette, where cream and rose striping over green is washed with pink and red blushes in strong light. Like its Neoregelia parents it forms a flat, spreading rosette that colours up at flowering. Showy, easy and pet-safe, it is a favourite collector's cultivar.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US/UK homes) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Crown rot: Stagnant cup water or cold damp conditions rot the centre; flush the tank and provide ventilation.

What neoregelia 'painted lady''s hardiness rating actually means

Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US/UK homes) — 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 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for neoregelia 'painted lady' as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can neoregelia 'painted lady' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

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 neoregelia 'painted lady' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is neoregelia 'painted lady' cold hardy?

Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US/UK homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature neoregelia 'painted lady' can survive?

What hardiness zone is neoregelia 'painted lady'?

Neoregelia 'Painted Lady' is rated USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US/UK homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can neoregelia 'painted lady' survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to neoregelia 'painted lady' below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.