Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is White Stonecrop (Sedum album)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Coral Carpet.

More about white stonecrop

About White Stonecrop

Sedum album · also called Coral Carpet · flowering

White Stonecrop is a low, spreading evergreen succulent with plump, cylindrical green leaves that flush coral-red in heat and cold, crowned by clouds of white summer flowers. A classic green-roof and rockery groundcover, it is exceptionally drought- and cold-hardy, roots from the smallest fragment, and is ASPCA non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover) · RHS H5 (-30 to 30°C)

What white stonecrop's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — white stonecrop is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover) — 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 −15 to −10 °C. White Stonecrop is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for white stonecrop as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 white stonecrop go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover) 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 white stonecrop can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

White Stonecrop hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is white stonecrop cold hardy?

Yes — white stonecrop is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. White Stonecrop is hardy across USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover); 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 white stonecrop can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. White Stonecrop is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is white stonecrop?

White Stonecrop is rated USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can white stonecrop survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 (hardy outdoor groundcover) 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 white stonecrop below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.