Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Orange Stonecrop (Sedum kamtschaticum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Orange Stonecrop, Kamchatka Stonecrop, Russian Stonecrop.

More about orange stonecrop

About Orange Stonecrop

Sedum kamtschaticum · also called Orange Stonecrop, Kamchatka Stonecrop · flowering

Sedum kamtschaticum is a tough, semi-evergreen stonecrop native to northeast Asia, prized for its bright yellow-orange star flowers in early summer and attractive seed heads that redden in autumn. It forms low mounds of glossy, slightly serrated succulent leaves and is one of the hardiest sedums, tolerating extreme cold, poor soil, and prolonged drought.

Cold limit: USDA 3-8 · RHS H7 (-40 to 30°C)

Watch for — Crown rot in wet winters: The key risk in cold, wet climates. Ensure excellent drainage by incorporating grit into heavy soils; raising the crown slightly above the soil level helps water drain away.

What orange stonecrop's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — orange stonecrop is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3-8 — 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 below about −20 °C. Orange Stonecrop is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for orange stonecrop as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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 orange stonecrop go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 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 orange stonecrop can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Orange Stonecrop hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is orange stonecrop cold hardy?

Yes — orange stonecrop is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Orange Stonecrop is hardy across USDA 3-8; 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 orange stonecrop can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Orange Stonecrop is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is orange stonecrop?

Orange Stonecrop is rated USDA 3-8 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can orange stonecrop survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 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 orange stonecrop below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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.