Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Woolly Mint, Pineapple Mint.

More about apple mint

About Apple Mint

Mentha suaveolens · also called Woolly Mint, Pineapple Mint · herb

Apple Mint is a soft, fuzzy-leaved mint with a gentle apple-and-spearmint scent, milder than peppermint and good in teas, jellies and fruit dishes. A hardy, spreading perennial, its woolly grey-green foliage tolerates a touch more heat and dryness than other mints, but still grows best in moist rich soil with sun to part shade.

Cold limit: USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) · RHS H5 (15-25°C)

What apple mint's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — apple mint is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) — 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 about −15 to −10 °C. Apple Mint is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for apple mint as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 apple mint go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) 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 apple mint can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Apple Mint hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is apple mint cold hardy?

Yes — apple mint is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Apple Mint is hardy across USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter); 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 apple mint can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Apple Mint is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is apple mint?

Apple Mint is rated USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can apple mint survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) 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 apple mint below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.