Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called feverfew, bachelor's buttons, featherfoil.

More about feverfew

About Feverfew

Tanacetum parthenium · also called feverfew, bachelor's buttons · herb

Feverfew is a short-lived, aromatic perennial herb in the daisy family, smothered through summer with small white daisy flowers over feathery, pungent foliage. Easy and self-seeding, it suits cottage borders and herb gardens and attracts pollinators. Traditionally used for headaches, it is toxic to pets and a known contact-allergen for some people.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H5 (-15 to 27°C)

What feverfew's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — feverfew is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, 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 5-9 — 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. Feverfew is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

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

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 feverfew can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Feverfew hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is feverfew cold hardy?

Yes — feverfew is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Feverfew is hardy across USDA 5-9; 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 feverfew can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is feverfew?

Feverfew is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can feverfew survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 feverfew 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.