Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is trailing clog plant (Nematanthus radicans)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called trailing clog plant, clog plant, goldfish plant.

More about trailing clog plant

About trailing clog plant

Nematanthus radicans · also called trailing clog plant, clog plant · houseplant

A vigorous trailing gesneriad native to Brazil with small, waxy dark-green leaves and orange pouched flowers resembling tiny clogs or goldfish. Perfect for hanging baskets, it trails freely and blooms reliably in bright indirect light. Fairly tolerant of average indoor humidity compared to many gesneriads, making it a rewarding beginner plant.

Cold limit: USDA 10–12 · RHS H1b (15–26°C)

What trailing clog plant's hardiness rating actually means

trailing clog plant 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 10–12 — 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). trailing clog plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

trailing clog plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is trailing clog plant cold hardy?

trailing clog plant 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. trailing clog plant can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10–12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature trailing clog plant can survive?

What hardiness zone is trailing clog plant?

trailing clog plant is rated USDA 10–12 and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can trailing clog plant 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 trailing clog plant 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.