Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called German chamomile, wild chamomile, Hungarian chamomile.

About Chamomile

Matricaria chamomilla · also called German chamomile, wild chamomile · flowering

German chamomile is a self-seeding annual herb with feathery foliage and small daisy-like flowers used in herbal teas. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a closely related perennial used for fragrant lawns. Both thrive in sun and free-draining soil. Mildly toxic to pets in quantity.

Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile) is an annual in the daisy family native to southern and eastern Europe and western Asia, naturalized in disturbed meadows and fields.

Erect, branched stems to about 2 ft; self-seeds profusely unless flower heads are removed, so a colony re-establishes spontaneously the next year.

Cold limit: USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder) · RHS H5 (15-24°C)

Sources: hort.extension.wisc.edu, plants.ces.ncsu.edu

What chamomile's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — chamomile is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder), 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 4-9 (annual self-seeder) — 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. Chamomile is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for chamomile 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 chamomile go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder) 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 chamomile can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Chamomile hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is chamomile cold hardy?

Yes — chamomile is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Chamomile is hardy across USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder); 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 chamomile can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is chamomile?

Chamomile is rated USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can chamomile survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 (annual self-seeder) 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 chamomile 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.