Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Gold Plate yarrow (Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Gold Plate yarrow, Fernleaf yarrow.

More about gold plate yarrow

About Gold Plate yarrow

Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate' · also called Gold Plate yarrow, Fernleaf yarrow · flowering

A tall, stately yarrow cultivar producing large, flat-topped golden-yellow flower heads up to 5 inches across on sturdy stems. Exceptionally drought-tolerant once established, it thrives in full sun and poor to average soils. Excellent for cutting and drying, and a top pollinator plant for bees and butterflies in borders and prairie-style plantings.

Cold limit: USDA 3–9 · RHS H7 (-30 to 35°C)

What gold plate yarrow's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — gold plate yarrow is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3–9 — 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 below about −20 °C. Gold Plate yarrow is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for gold plate yarrow as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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 gold plate yarrow go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3–9 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 gold plate yarrow can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Gold Plate yarrow hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is gold plate yarrow cold hardy?

Yes — gold plate yarrow is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Gold Plate yarrow is hardy across USDA 3–9; 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 gold plate yarrow can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Gold Plate yarrow is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is gold plate yarrow?

Gold Plate yarrow is rated USDA 3–9 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can gold plate yarrow survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3–9 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 gold plate yarrow below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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.