Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' (Goeppertia roseopicta 'Surprise Star')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Calathea Surprise Star.

More about calathea roseopicta 'surprise star'

About Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star'

Goeppertia roseopicta 'Surprise Star' · also called Calathea Surprise Star · houseplant

'Surprise Star' is a variegated roseopicta cultivar whose dark leaves are randomly splashed with cream, pink and pale-green sectors, no two leaves alike, over deep purple undersides. As a prayer plant it folds upward each night. It thrives in warmth, even moisture, high humidity and bright indirect light indoors.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Root rot: Variegated calatheas rot easily in cold, soggy soil. Use a fast-draining mix, a draining pot, and let the surface dry slightly before rewatering.

What calathea roseopicta 'surprise star''s hardiness rating actually means

Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' 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 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US) — 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). Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' 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 calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' 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 calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' cold hardy?

Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' 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. Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' can survive?

What hardiness zone is calathea roseopicta 'surprise star'?

Calathea Roseopicta 'Surprise Star' is rated USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' 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 calathea roseopicta 'surprise star' 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.