Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Bolero Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis sinuata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Painted Tongue, Velvet Trumpet Flower, Chilean Salpiglossis.

More about bolero painted tongue

About Bolero Painted Tongue

Salpiglossis sinuata · also called Painted Tongue, Velvet Trumpet Flower · flowering

Painted Tongue is a cool-season annual from Chile bearing velvety, trumpet-shaped flowers in rich purples, reds, and golds with intricate veining. It excels in cool spring and autumn gardens with bright indirect light. Classified as mildly toxic due to its membership in the Solanaceae family; keep away from pets and children.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (grown as a cool-season annual in most regions) · RHS H2 (10-22°C)

Watch for — Short bloom period in heat: Flowering stops when temperatures consistently exceed 25°C; plant successionally for extended colour.

What bolero painted tongue's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for bolero painted tongue: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". 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 9-11 (grown as a cool-season 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

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for bolero painted tongue as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can bolero painted tongue go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

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 bolero painted tongue 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 bolero painted tongue

Bolero Painted Tongue is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Bolero Painted Tongue hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is bolero painted tongue cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for bolero painted tongue: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Bolero Painted Tongue is grown 9-11 (grown as a cool-season annual in most regions); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature bolero painted tongue can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is bolero painted tongue?

Bolero Painted Tongue is rated USDA 9-11 (grown as a cool-season annual in most regions) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can bolero painted tongue survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect bolero painted tongue from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.