Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Variegated-Colour Begonia (Begonia versicolor)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Variegated-colour begonia, Fairy carpet begonia, Multicolour begonia.

More about variegated-colour begonia

About Variegated-Colour Begonia

Begonia versicolor · also called Variegated-colour begonia, Fairy carpet begonia · houseplant

Begonia versicolor is a prized rhizomatous species from the limestone karst forests of Yunnan, China, grown for its spectacular velvety leaves marked in shades of deep green, red, and silver. It demands stable warmth, high humidity, and bright indirect light, with watering adjusted carefully to avoid crown rot around its shallow rhizome. It is among the more demanding begonias in cultivation and grows best in a terrarium or a sheltered humid environment. Toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (indoor in most climates) · RHS H1b (18–26 °C)

What variegated-colour begonia's hardiness rating actually means

Variegated-Colour Begonia 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 (indoor in most 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 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Variegated-Colour Begonia has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for variegated-colour begonia 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 variegated-colour begonia 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 variegated-colour begonia can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Variegated-Colour Begonia hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is variegated-colour begonia cold hardy?

Variegated-Colour Begonia 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. Variegated-Colour Begonia can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (indoor in most climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature variegated-colour begonia can survive?

What hardiness zone is variegated-colour begonia?

Variegated-Colour Begonia is rated USDA 10-12 (indoor in most climates) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can variegated-colour begonia 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 variegated-colour begonia 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.