Monstera deliciosa Zone 6a Colorado

[COpalms]

I wanted to report my current activities with my monstera planted outdoors here in zone 6a, Colorado, and say it has been doing great! I never imagined in 1m years that a Monstera would be growing in zone 6a successfully, at least thus far. It has lost some of its leaves due to my lack of responsibility. I forgot to protect it, and it got down to 25f (-3c). I uncovered it at 26-28°F (3-2c), and another morning I uncovered it at 26f with the heat cable, but it actually suffered no damage from that uncovering. I currently have it wrapped in a Frost King heat cable and two Planket-brand frost cloths. (circular ones, not actual wrap like a roll). I made the mistake of covering it for 3 days straight before any freezes to test the plankeet out. Most of the leaves suffered damage due to a lack of sunlight, but like half of them were fine.  Some of the leaves are still on there, but leaves are expendable with ease since you only need the roots and stem to survive (the stem and roots are perfect with no damage). I also have about 4 inches of mulch on the base, maybe 5.  It got down to 7-8f (-13c) a night ago, and it yet again and surprisingly, survived the cold with the current setup. It has seen nights down to 28°F with no protection (not even a heat cable) and been fine. I will mention the microclimate it's in; tucked away in a fence corner of my yard, facing the south, under a pine tree, and in a rocky area where it's protected from north, east, as well as shielded from west and south winds. Based on my observations, I can confirm that if I were in zone 8a, it could survive the winter. I will continue to study and see how it does with any more cold snaps (which should not be under -10°F), but let's pray she survives! Shockingly, two leaves have stood the test of time, and regardless of 5 straight days and 3 straight days in a row of covering from the planket and multiple nights of high twenties (25-29°F), they have NO damage thus far. (If you want any photos, I'll attach them to any future post.) Have a good day, God bless!

[Meangreen94z]

This should go under the ‘other tropical plants’ section

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

15 hours ago, COpalms said:

I wanted to report my current activities with my monstera planted outdoors here in zone 6a, Colorado, and say it has been doing great! I never imagined in 1m years that a Monstera would be growing in zone 6a successfully, at least thus far. It has lost some of its leaves due to my lack of responsibility. I forgot to protect it, and it got down to 25f (-3c). I uncovered it at 26-28°F (3-2c), and another morning I uncovered it at 26f with the heat cable, but it actually suffered no damage from that uncovering. I currently have it wrapped in a Frost King heat cable and two Planket-brand frost cloths. (circular ones, not actual wrap like a roll). I made the mistake of covering it for 3 days straight before any freezes to test the plankeet out. Most of the leaves suffered damage due to a lack of sunlight, but like half of them were fine.  Some of the leaves are still on there, but leaves are expendable with ease since you only need the roots and stem to survive (the stem and roots are perfect with no damage). I also have about 4 inches of mulch on the base, maybe 5.  It got down to 7-8f (-13c) a night ago, and it yet again and surprisingly, survived the cold with the current setup. It has seen nights down to 28°F with no protection (not even a heat cable) and been fine. I will mention the microclimate it's in; tucked away in a fence corner of my yard, facing the south, under a pine tree, and in a rocky area where it's protected from north, east, as well as shielded from west and south winds. Based on my observations, I can confirm that if I were in zone 8a, it could survive the winter. I will continue to study and see how it does with any more cold snaps (which should not be under -10°F), but let's pray she survives! Shockingly, two leaves have stood the test of time, and regardless of 5 straight days and 3 straight days in a row of covering from the planket and multiple nights of high twenties (25-29°F), they have NO damage thus far. (If you want any photos, I'll attach them to any future post.) Have a good day, God bless!

I'll be following the progress of this plant. Good information @COpalms

[PalmsandLiszt]

On 12/6/2025 at 4:33 AM, COpalms said:

Shockingly, two leaves have stood the test of time, and regardless of 5 straight days and 3 straight days in a row of covering from the planket and multiple nights of high twenties (25-29°F), they have NO damage thus far.

The leaves (and perhaps the rest of it) might be dead but will take a long time to show it under morgue-like temperatures. I've thrown out pruned Monstera and Thaumatophyllum leaves into the garden in winter, and they can remain green for months in the cold; it doesn't mean they're alive.

However, I'd be interested to know if your Monstera is still alive come spring. If not, the whole thing will probably turn to mush when the temperatures rise. The below-ground stems can be quite tough, though. Feel free to post photos if you like.

[Than]

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