Pretty much a zone 9 plant with significant dieback (or even failure) if temps drop much into the 20's. This winter was a challenge for them in all but the most protected locations. And even with mild winters the variegation results in a somewhat less robust plant. Great container specimen though, if you're not looking for long term staying power.

Thanks gg,

Somehow I was afraid it was just too dang pretty to be true :-(

I live in San Francisco's Diamond Heights, the neighborhood where the plant was originally discovered. The Diamond Heights area is a group of foggy hilltops, where the temps year-round usually stay between 50-65. It's almost always windy, with the fog blowing in from the west almost every night. It rarely gets hot and we haven't had a freeze for about 15 years. It's therefore no surprise that the plant doesn't like cold winters.

The only problem that the plant seems to have here is brittleness. It's not a good plant for places where people will brush up against it.

I've read that the plant also doesn't like warmer areas and may need some shading in hot areas. Again, no surprise. It's almost never hot here.