Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Double-flowered Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile 'Flore Pleno')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

More about double-flowered chamomile

About Double-flowered Chamomile

Chamaemelum nobile 'Flore Pleno' · herb

Double-flowered Chamomile is an ornamental Roman chamomile cultivar bearing rounded, fully double white pompon flowers above the same aromatic feathery foliage. Low and mat-forming, it suits herb borders, edging, and gentle chamomile lawns. It shares the species' love of full sun, light free-draining soil, and cool airy conditions, and is sterile so spreads vegetatively.

Cold limit: USDA 4-9 · RHS H5 (10-24°C)

Watch for — Rot in wet or heavy soil: Poor drainage and overwatering rot the crown, especially in winter. Use light, gritty, free-draining soil and let it dry between waterings.

What double-flowered chamomile's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — double-flowered chamomile is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 4-9, 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 — 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. Double-flowered Chamomile is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

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

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

Double-flowered Chamomile hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is double-flowered chamomile cold hardy?

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

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

What hardiness zone is double-flowered chamomile?

Double-flowered Chamomile is rated USDA 4-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can double-flowered chamomile survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-9 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 double-flowered 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.