Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Olympiad Rose (Rosa 'Olympiad')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Olympiad, MACauck.

More about olympiad rose

About Olympiad Rose

Rosa 'Olympiad' · also called Olympiad, MACauck · flowering

Olympiad is a brilliant clear-red hybrid tea bred by McGredy and named for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, an All-America Rose Selections winner. It produces classic high-centred, velvety scarlet blooms on long stems, ideal for cutting, with light fragrance. Grow in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil for strong, recurrent flushes.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose) · RHS H6 (15-26°C)

What olympiad rose's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — olympiad rose is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose), 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 5-9 (outdoor garden rose) — 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. Olympiad Rose is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for olympiad rose 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 olympiad rose go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose) 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 olympiad rose can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Olympiad Rose hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is olympiad rose cold hardy?

Yes — olympiad rose is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Olympiad Rose is hardy across USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose); 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 olympiad rose can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is olympiad rose?

Olympiad Rose is rated USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose) and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can olympiad rose survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 (outdoor garden rose) 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 olympiad rose 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.