Frost Tolerant Plants — Hardy, Beautiful Choices for Cold Australian Gardens

Gardening in a frost-prone climate should never mean settling for a bare, colourless winter garden. Australia's frost-affected regions — from Melbourne's inner suburbs and the Dandenong Ranges to Canberra's high plains, the Adelaide Hills, and inland Victoria and New South Wales — are home to some of the country's most beautiful gardens, filled with plants that don't just survive winter cold but genuinely thrive in it.

At Online Plants, our frost tolerant collection is curated specifically for gardens that experience temperatures down to -5°C. Every plant in this range has been selected by our horticultural team for reliable cold-weather performance — from evergreen hedging shrubs and flowering natives to ornamental trees, groundcovers, and perennials that deliver year-round structure and seasonal colour through even the sharpest overnight frosts.

Browse with confidence: all plants are backed by our exclusive 30-day grow guarantee and delivered fresh to your door across VIC, ACT, NSW, QLD and SA.

Which Parts of Australia Experience Frost?

Frost in Australia occurs when ground-level temperatures drop below 0°C, typically on still, clear winter nights when there is no cloud cover to retain heat. The main frost-affected regions are:
•    Melbourne metropolitan area: Light to moderate frosts are common from June through August, particularly in the outer eastern, northern, and western suburbs. The CBD and inner suburbs experience fewer frost nights due to the urban heat island effect. The Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley, and Macedon Ranges experience significantly heavier and more prolonged frosts.
•    Canberra and ACT: Australia's most consistently frost-affected major city. Canberra averages 40–60 frost days per year and regularly records minimum temperatures of -5°C to -8°C. Gardens here require genuinely frost-hardy plants — not just frost-tolerant varieties.
•    Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley: Moderate frosts from June through August. Frost-tolerant plants perform well here; true frost-hardy selections are needed only at higher elevations.
•    Inland Victoria and NSW (Ballarat, Bendigo, Orange, Bathurst, Armidale): Regular moderate to heavy frosts. Ballarat averages 60–80 frost days per year. Frost-tolerant plants suitable; frost-hardy preferred for exposed positions.
•    Southern Tasmania: Regular winter frosts in most areas. Frost-tolerant plants perform well in sheltered positions; frost-hardy preferred for open garden situations.
•    Southern Queensland highlands and tablelands (Toowoomba, Stanthorpe): Unexpected but real frosts occur. Frost-tolerant plants are appropriate for these areas.
Coastal Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and tropical Australia: Essentially frost-free. Frost tolerant plants are not required — choose from the full range of subtropical and tropical plants available.

Microclimate Factors That Affect Frost Risk

Within a single suburb or garden, frost risk can vary dramatically depending on several microclimate factors:
•    Low-lying areas and frost pockets: Cold air is denser than warm air and drains downhill, pooling in hollows, along fence lines, and in sheltered low areas. A hollow in a Melbourne garden may record frosts 2–3°C colder than the top of the same garden.
•    North-facing walls: Walls that face north absorb heat during the day and re-radiate it overnight, creating a significantly warmer microclimate. Position frost-sensitive but desirable plants against north-facing walls for added protection.
•    Under eaves and canopy: Overhead cover — from eaves, pergolas, or established tree canopy — significantly reduces frost severity by preventing radiative heat loss from the ground. Plants positioned under cover experience measurably milder conditions.
•    Open lawn areas: Open turf or bare soil loses heat rapidly through radiation on still, clear nights and is typically the coldest spot in any garden. Avoid planting frost-sensitive species in the centre of open lawns.
•    Established canopy: Planting beneath existing trees or tall shrubs reduces frost severity — the canopy acts as insulation. This is why understory plants in nature are rarely exposed to the most severe frosts.

Understanding Frost Damage in Australian Gardens

Frost causes plant damage when the temperature drops below 0°C and moisture within plant cells freezes, forming ice crystals that rupture cell walls. The effects depend on the severity and duration of the frost, the plant's natural frost tolerance, and crucially — the plant's stage of development.
Newly planted or soft new growth is significantly more vulnerable than established, mature plants. A plant species rated as frost tolerant may suffer severe frost damage if planted in autumn and exposed to a hard frost before it has established. This is one of the most common — and most preventable — causes of frost plant loss in Australian gardens.
•    Frost damage appears as blackened, wilted, or waterlogged-looking foliage and stems — typically visible within 24–48 hours of a severe frost event
•    Bark splitting and stem death in woody plants indicates a more severe frost than the plant could tolerate
•    Root systems are almost always unaffected even when top growth is severely damaged — many apparently 'killed' plants reshoot from the base in spring
•    Do not prune frost-damaged growth immediately — the damaged material provides some insulation for the plant below. Wait until new growth appears in spring before removing dead material
•    A single light frost rarely kills established frost-tolerant plants — it is the combination of cold, wind desiccation, and wet soil that causes the most severe damage

Protecting New Plants from Frost During Establishment

The most critical period for any frost-tolerant plant is the first 8–12 weeks after planting, before a strong root system has developed. Even plants rated to -5°C can suffer severe damage as unestablished specimens exposed to the same temperatures.
•    Plant in late spring or early summer where possible to allow maximum root establishment before winter
•    If planting in autumn (March–May), choose established plants in larger pot sizes — bigger root balls establish faster and are more resistant to frost stress
•    Wrap young plants with horticultural fleece or frost cloth on nights when frost is forecast — even a single layer reduces effective temperature by 2–4°C
•    Apply a 7–10cm deep mulch layer around newly planted specimens to insulate root zones from cold — this is particularly important in Canberra, Ballarat and other cold-climate cities
•    Water plants the evening before a forecast frost — moist soil holds heat better than dry soil and releases it overnight, moderating the temperature around the root zone
•    Avoid fertilising with high-nitrogen products in late summer and autumn — lush, soft new growth is highly frost-susceptible. Apply slow-release low-nitrogen fertiliser only
•    Never prune plants in late autumn — pruning stimulates soft new growth that is immediately vulnerable to the approaching cold season

Planting Strategy: Designing a Frost-Proof Garden

The most successful frost-zone gardens in Melbourne, Canberra, and Adelaide Hills share a common design approach: they use layered planting with frost-hardy structural plants creating protective microclimates for slightly more frost-sensitive flowering specimens underneath.
•    Establish a framework of fully frost-hardy evergreen structure plants first: Pittosporum, Viburnum tinus, Westringia, Liriope, Lomandra, and Photinia all form reliable frost-zone garden backbones
•    Use deciduous trees for winter interest — bare-stemmed ornamental pears, maples, and flowering cherries provide beautiful winter architecture while avoiding the frost-damage risk of evergreen foliage
•    Plant frost-sensitive flowering specimens in sheltered microclimates created by the structural framework — against north-facing walls, under established canopy, or in the warmest parts of the garden
•    Use groundcovers like Liriope, Lomandra, and Erica carnea as frost-tolerant carpet beneath deciduous trees — they fill the winter garden with evergreen texture without competing with tree roots in summer
•    Group pots and moveable containers together near the house wall or under eaves through winter — clustering reduces wind exposure and the wall radiates stored heat overnight

Frost Recovery: What To Do After a Hard Frost

Even well-chosen frost-tolerant plants occasionally sustain damage during unusually severe frost events. The right recovery strategy can save plants that initially appear to be dead:
•    Do NOT prune frost-damaged stems immediately — wait until new growth emerges in spring. Damaged stems act as frost protection for the live growth below, and what appears dead may still reshoot
•    Do not fertilise frost-damaged plants in winter — the plant is not actively growing and cannot utilise nutrients. Wait until spring growth is clearly underway before applying any fertiliser
•    Water frost-damaged plants during dry winter periods — desiccation from dry cold wind is as damaging as cold itself
•    Once spring growth clearly emerges (September–October), cut damaged stems back to the lowest point of new growth — typically 10–15cm above ground level on badly affected plants
•    Apply a complete fertiliser and seaweed solution after spring pruning to support recovery — most frost-tolerant plants recover vigorously once temperatures rise
•    If no growth has appeared by mid-October, scratch the bark of the main stem — if green tissue is visible beneath, the plant is alive and will reshoot. If brown throughout, the plant has not survived

Mulching: The Single Most Important Frost Protection Measure

Mulch is the most cost-effective and practically significant frost protection technique available to Australian gardeners. A 7–10cm layer of organic mulch around the root zone of any plant does three critical things in cold conditions:
•    Insulates root zones from temperature extremes — soil temperature under mulch fluctuates far less dramatically than bare soil, protecting roots from the cold spells that cause most plant mortality
•    Retains soil moisture — moist soil holds and releases heat more effectively than dry soil, moderating overnight temperature drops
•    Suppresses weeds that compete with frost-stressed plants for water and nutrients during the recovery period
Apply mulch in late autumn (April–May) before the first frosts are expected. Use organic materials — sugar cane straw, composted bark, woodchip — ideally 7–10cm deep. Keep mulch 5–10cm clear of stems and trunks to prevent collar rot.

Frequently Asked Question - FAQs

What is the difference between frost tolerant and frost hardy plants?

Frost tolerant plants can survive temperatures down to approximately -5°C and withstand 1–2 nights of frost without permanent damage — they may look temporarily sad but recover as temperatures rise. Frost hardy plants can withstand temperatures down to -10°C and below, surviving prolonged frost periods of weeks without significant damage. If you garden in suburban Melbourne, the Adelaide Hills, or coastal ACT, frost tolerant plants are generally sufficient. If you garden in Canberra, Ballarat, inland Victoria, or high-altitude NSW, you need genuinely frost hardy selections. The Online Plants frost tolerant collection is rated to -5°C. For colder zones, look for plants specifically rated to -10°C and below.

Which suburbs of Melbourne experience frost?

Melbourne frosts are most common in the outer eastern, northern, and western suburbs — particularly Lilydale, Healesville, the Yarra Valley, Dandenong Ranges, Macedon Ranges, Sunbury, Melton, and Werribee. The inner city and bayside suburbs experience few frost nights due to the urban heat island effect. In general, gardens more than 20km from Port Phillip Bay and above 100m elevation are more prone to frost. The most frost-affected Melbourne-region areas are the Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Ranges, and Macedon Ranges, which can record -5°C to -8°C minimum temperatures in winter.

Can I plant frost tolerant plants in Canberra?

Frost tolerant plants rated to -5°C may struggle in Canberra, which regularly records temperatures of -5°C to -8°C and averages 40–60 frost days per year. For Canberra gardens, look for plants specifically rated as frost hardy to -10°C or below. From the Online Plants range, fully frost hardy options include Nandina domestica, Helleborus, Erica carnea, Hydrangea, ornamental deciduous trees (Pyrus, Malus, Magnolia), and many Grevillea varieties. Contact our team for specific Canberra planting recommendations.

How do I protect newly planted frost tolerant plants through winter?

New plants are significantly more vulnerable than established ones — even frost tolerant species need protection in their first winter. Plant in late spring to allow maximum establishment before winter. If planting in autumn, apply a 7–10cm layer of mulch around the root zone to insulate from cold. On nights when frost is forecast, cover young plants with horticultural fleece or frost cloth — even a single layer reduces effective temperature by 2–4°C. Water plants the evening before a frost — moist soil releases stored heat overnight. Avoid pruning or high-nitrogen fertilising in autumn, which stimulates vulnerable soft new growth.

Which Frost Tolerant Is Right for You? Compare All Varieties

Plant Name	Category	Frost Temp	Sun	Water	Mature Size
Lavender (Lavandula)	Shrub	-10°C	Full sun	Low	60–90cm
Westringia (Coast Rosemary)	Native shrub	-5°C	Full sun	Low	1–2m
Liriope muscari	Groundcover	-10°C	Sun/shade	Low	30–60cm
Photinia Red Robin	Hedging shrub	-8°C	Full sun	Moderate	2–5m

Why are my frost tolerant plants dying after frost?

Several factors can cause frost tolerant plants to fail despite their rating. First, new plants are far more vulnerable than established ones — always protect plants through their first winter. Second, frost damage is worsened by wet, waterlogged soil — ensure excellent drainage, particularly in Melbourne's clay soils. Third, dry cold wind is as damaging as cold itself — windbreaks and sheltered planting positions significantly improve survival. Fourth, the plant may have been exposed to temperatures colder than its rating — check if your area had an unusual frost event. Finally, do not prune apparent frost damage until spring — what looks dead may reshoot strongly from the base.