Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Andorra Compact Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis 'Plumosa Compacta')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Andorra Compact Juniper, Compact Andorra Juniper.

More about andorra compact juniper

About Andorra Compact Juniper

Juniperus horizontalis 'Plumosa Compacta' · also called Andorra Compact Juniper, Compact Andorra Juniper · flowering

Andorra Compact Juniper is a low, mounding creeper that forms a tidy, feathery cushion about 30-45 cm tall and 1.2-1.8 m wide. Its grey-green plumose summer foliage turns a distinctive purple-bronze in winter. Compact and uniform, it suits foundations, borders and slopes in full sun and well-drained soil, and is reliably drought-hardy.

Cold limit: USDA 3-9 (very hardy) · RHS H7 (-35 to 35°C)

What andorra compact juniper's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — andorra compact juniper is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-9 (very hardy), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3-9 (very hardy) — 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 below about −20 °C. Andorra Compact Juniper is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for andorra compact juniper as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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 andorra compact juniper go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-9 (very hardy) 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 andorra compact juniper can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Andorra Compact Juniper hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is andorra compact juniper cold hardy?

Yes — andorra compact juniper is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-9 (very hardy), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Andorra Compact Juniper is hardy across USDA 3-9 (very hardy); 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 andorra compact juniper can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Andorra Compact Juniper is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is andorra compact juniper?

Andorra Compact Juniper is rated USDA 3-9 (very hardy) and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can andorra compact juniper survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-9 (very hardy) 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 andorra compact juniper below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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.