Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Rangoon Creeper (Quisqualis indica)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle, Burma Creeper, Drunken Sailor.

More about rangoon creeper

About Rangoon Creeper

Quisqualis indica · also called Rangoon Creeper, Chinese Honeysuckle · tropical

Rangoon Creeper is a vigorous tropical vine prized for its fragrant flower clusters that open white and age through pink to deep red on the same plant. An aggressive grower reaching 8–20 m in ideal conditions, it thrives in full sun with support. Hardy to about −1°C for brief periods, it is grown in USDA zones 9b–11 and considered low-risk toxicity to pets.

Cold limit: USDA 9b-11 · RHS H1b (18–35°C)

Watch for — Frost damage: Even brief frost kills the top growth; the root system may survive light frost if protected with heavy mulch. In borderline zones, grow in a large container and move under cover before temperatures drop below 4°C (40°F). Cut back frost-damaged stems to healthy wood in spring.

What rangoon creeper's hardiness rating actually means

Rangoon Creeper 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 9b-11 — 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). Rangoon Creeper has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for rangoon creeper 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 rangoon creeper 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 rangoon creeper can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Rangoon Creeper hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is rangoon creeper cold hardy?

Rangoon Creeper 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. Rangoon Creeper can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9b-11); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature rangoon creeper can survive?

What hardiness zone is rangoon creeper?

Rangoon Creeper is rated USDA 9b-11 and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can rangoon creeper 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 rangoon creeper 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.