Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Canary Island Sea Lavender (Limonium pectinatum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Canary Island sea lavender.

More about canary island sea lavender

About Canary Island Sea Lavender

Limonium pectinatum · also called Canary Island sea lavender · flowering

Limonium pectinatum is a tender, shrubby perennial endemic to the coastal cliffs and rocky shores of the Canary Islands, where it is adapted to near-year-round warmth, salt winds, and fast-draining volcanic soils. It forms a spreading, low woody mound with stiff, comb-like leaves (the species name refers to the pectinate, comb-toothed leaf margins) and bears clusters of small flowers in summer. In the UK and most of the US it must be grown in a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory and treated as a tender perennial or container specimen. Limonium is non-toxic to cats and dogs according to the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 · RHS H2 (5°C to 30°C)

Watch for — Root rot in winter: The most common cause of loss when grown under glass; wet compost combined with low winter temperatures is rapidly fatal. Keep the pot on the dry side from October through February.

What canary island sea lavender's hardiness rating actually means

Canary Island Sea Lavender is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 — 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Canary Island Sea Lavender shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for canary island sea lavender as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can canary island sea lavender go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 canary island sea lavender can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline canary island sea lavender

Canary Island Sea Lavender is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Canary Island Sea Lavender hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is canary island sea lavender cold hardy?

Canary Island Sea Lavender is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9-11 (and sheltered UK gardens) canary island sea lavender can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature canary island sea lavender can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Canary Island Sea Lavender shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is canary island sea lavender?

Canary Island Sea Lavender is rated USDA 9-11 and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can canary island sea lavender survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect canary island sea lavender from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.