Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Silver Vine (Actinidia polygama)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Silver Vine, Cat Powder Plant, Matatabi.

More about silver vine

About Silver Vine

Actinidia polygama · also called Silver Vine, Cat Powder Plant · edible

Silver Vine is a deciduous Asian vine famed for its silvery-variegated leaves and strong attraction to cats (stronger than catnip). It produces small, elongated, edible fruits with a mild kiwi flavour. Hardy to USDA zone 4, it is dioecious and requires both sexes for fruiting. Best grown in full sun on a sturdy support.

Cold limit: USDA 4–9 · RHS H7 (-25 to 35 °C)

What silver vine's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — silver vine is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 4–9, 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 4–9 — 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. Silver Vine is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for silver vine 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 silver vine go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4–9 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 silver vine can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Silver Vine hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is silver vine cold hardy?

Yes — silver vine is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 4–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Silver Vine is hardy across USDA 4–9; 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 silver vine can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is silver vine?

Silver Vine is rated USDA 4–9 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can silver vine survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4–9 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 silver vine 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.