Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
What Guava Tree Handles Cold the Best?
What Guava Tree Handles Cold the Best?. Strawberry guavas (Psidium cattljanum), sometimes called cattley guavas, are native to warmer temperate regions of eastern Brazil. They are rated as slightly more cold-hardy than common guavas (Psidium guajava), believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America.
Strawberry guavas (Psidium cattljanum), sometimes called cattley guavas, are native to warmer temperate regions of eastern Brazil. They are rated as slightly more cold-hardy than common guavas (Psidium guajava), believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America.
Common Guava Hardiness
Common guavas will grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b through 11. Temperatures of 27 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit will kill young common guavas, but mature trees can withstand temperatures down to 25 to 26 F. The average winter low temperatures in USDA zone 9b is 25 to 30 F. Those temperatures jump to 30 to 35 F in USDA zone 10a.
Red Strawberry Guavas
Purdue University horticulturalists report that red cultivars of the strawberry guava can survive to 22 degrees F. The zones of the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone map are not so clearly delineated that you can step from one zone to another the way you might step across the border from Oregon to California. You should be able to grow red strawberry guava cultivars in warmer parts of USDA 9a, which has winter lows averaging 20 to 25 F. They will do better, however, in USDA zone 9b.
Yellow Strawberry Guavas
Yellow strawberry guava cultivars are less cold-hardy than red cultivars. You can grow them in climates where you would grow lemons. Young lemons are killed at 29 degrees F, and mature lemons are damaged at temperatures from 28 to 31 F. USDA 10a has average winter lows of 30 to 35 F.
Strawberry Guava Description
The strawberry guava is a shrub or small tree that grows from 6 1/2 to 14 feet high, although cultivars with yellow fruit may grow as high as 40 feet. The white flesh of red cultivars turns red near the surface while yellow cultivars have yellow flesh. The flesh of both cultivars is aromatic, juicy and translucent. Strawberry guavas tolerate shade and are salt-tolerant. They spread rapidly by shoots that grow from roots to form invasive thickets on Hawaiian, Pacific and Caribbean islands. Wild pigs and other animals eat their fruit and spread the seeds through their droppings.
