Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' (Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Fairytales Cinderella Portulaca, Ornamental Purslane.

More about portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella'

About Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella'

Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' · also called Fairytales Cinderella Portulaca, Ornamental Purslane · flowering

'Fairytales Cinderella' is an ornamental purslane with large, semi-double blooms in soft apricot-pink tones over fleshy, paddle-shaped leaves. Bred for heat tolerance and strong garden performance, this low, trailing succulent annual thrives in scorching sun, containers and baskets. It shrugs off drought and heat that would scorch most bedding plants, flowering all summer.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) · RHS H2 (21-32°C)

What portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella''s hardiness rating actually means

Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) — 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 10-11 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella'

Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' cold hardy?

Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 10-11 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) (and sheltered UK gardens) portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' can survive?

What hardiness zone is portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella'?

Portulaca oleracea 'Fairytales Cinderella' is rated USDA 10-11 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 10-11 (grown as a frost-tender annual in most regions) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect portulaca oleracea 'fairytales cinderella' from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.