Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Variegated Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Variegated Ground Ivy, Variegated Creeping Charlie, Variegated Gill-over-the-Ground.

More about variegated ground ivy

About Variegated Ground Ivy

Glechoma hederacea 'Variegata' · also called Variegated Ground Ivy, Variegated Creeping Charlie · herb

A cultivar of ground ivy selected for heart-shaped leaves edged in creamy white, offering decorative trailing growth in containers and hanging baskets. Less aggressive than the green species. Small lavender flowers appear in spring. Aromatic when crushed. Best grown where its spread can be contained; mildly caution warranted around browsing pets.

Cold limit: USDA 3–10 · RHS H6 (5–24°C)

What variegated ground ivy's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — variegated ground ivy is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 3–10, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3–10 — 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 −20 to −15 °C. Variegated Ground Ivy is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for variegated ground ivy as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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 variegated ground ivy go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3–10 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 variegated ground ivy can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Variegated Ground Ivy hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is variegated ground ivy cold hardy?

Yes — variegated ground ivy is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 3–10, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Variegated Ground Ivy is hardy across USDA 3–10; 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 variegated ground ivy can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Variegated Ground Ivy is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is variegated ground ivy?

Variegated Ground Ivy is rated USDA 3–10 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can variegated ground ivy survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3–10 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 variegated ground ivy below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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.