Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Nottingham Catchfly (Silene nutans)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Nottingham Catchfly, Nodding Catchfly.

More about nottingham catchfly

About Nottingham Catchfly

Silene nutans · also called Nottingham Catchfly, Nodding Catchfly · flowering

Silene nutans is a slender, night-scented perennial native to dry calcareous rocks, chalk cliffs, and well-drained limestone grassland in the UK and across Europe, taking its name from the walls of Nottingham Castle where it was famously recorded. The nodding white flowers open at dusk and release a rich clove-like fragrance to attract moths. The most important care requirement is excellent drainage — the plant rots quickly in wet winter soil. As a Silene species not listed by the ASPCA, it is treated as mildly toxic pending formal assessment.

Cold limit: USDA 4-8 · RHS H6 (-20 to 25°C)

Watch for — Crown rot in poorly drained or winter-wet soils: The base of the plant collapses to a brown mush if waterlogged during winter dormancy; plant on a slope, raised bed, or in gritty, free-draining compost to prevent this.

What nottingham catchfly's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — nottingham catchfly is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4-8, 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 4-8 — 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. Nottingham Catchfly is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for nottingham catchfly 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 nottingham catchfly go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4-8 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 nottingham catchfly can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Nottingham Catchfly hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is nottingham catchfly cold hardy?

Yes — nottingham catchfly is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Nottingham Catchfly is hardy across USDA 4-8; 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 nottingham catchfly can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is nottingham catchfly?

Nottingham Catchfly is rated USDA 4-8 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can nottingham catchfly survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-8 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 nottingham catchfly 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.