Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) (Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Friendship Plant, Moon Valley Pilea, Moon Valley Friendship Plant, Pilea Moon Valley.

More about pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant)

About Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant)

Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley' · also called Friendship Plant, Moon Valley Pilea · houseplant

Pilea 'Moon Valley' is a compact tropical houseplant in the nettle family, prized for its deeply textured, quilted bronze-green leaves with red veining. It wants bright indirect light, evenly moist (never soggy) soil, and high humidity. The ASPCA lists Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata) as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

Cold limit: USDA USDA zones 11-12 outdoors; grown as a houseplant elsewhere (18-27C)

Watch for — Root rot from overwatering: Soggy soil is the most common killer. Let the top inch dry before watering, use a free-draining mix, and ensure the pot drains; cut back watering in winter.

What pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant)'s hardiness rating actually means

Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) 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 USDA zones 11-12 outdoors; grown as a houseplant elsewhere — 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). Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) 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 pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) 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 pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) cold hardy?

Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) 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. Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA USDA zones 11-12 outdoors; grown as a houseplant elsewhere); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) can survive?

What hardiness zone is pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant)?

Pilea 'Moon Valley' (Friendship Plant) is rated USDA USDA zones 11-12 outdoors; grown as a houseplant elsewhere and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) 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 pilea 'moon valley' (friendship plant) 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.