Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Madagascar Jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Madagascar jasmine, Bridal wreath, Wax flower, Hawaiian wedding flower, Bridal veil vine.

More about madagascar jasmine

About Madagascar Jasmine

Stephanotis floribunda · also called Madagascar jasmine, Bridal wreath · flowering

Madagascar jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda) is a twining evergreen vine prized for intensely fragrant, waxy white trumpet flowers. Give it bright, filtered light, consistently moist soil in summer, warmth above 13C and high humidity. Avoid moving it while in bud. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses.

Cold limit: USDA 10-13 (tender; grown as a houseplant or under glass in cooler climates) (18-23C (min 13C))

Watch for — Bud and flower drop: Stephanotis is notoriously sensitive to being moved, temperature swings, draughts and underwatering once it sets buds. Keep it in one stable spot and avoid rotating or relocating the plant while in bud.

What madagascar jasmine's hardiness rating actually means

Madagascar Jasmine 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-13 (tender; grown as a houseplant or under glass in cooler climates) — 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 5 °C (and never frost). Madagascar Jasmine has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for madagascar jasmine as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 madagascar jasmine go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 madagascar jasmine can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Madagascar Jasmine hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is madagascar jasmine cold hardy?

Madagascar Jasmine 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. Madagascar Jasmine can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-13 (tender; grown as a houseplant or under glass in cooler climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature madagascar jasmine can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Madagascar Jasmine has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is madagascar jasmine?

Madagascar Jasmine is rated USDA 10-13 (tender; grown as a houseplant or under glass in cooler climates) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can madagascar jasmine survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 madagascar jasmine below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.