Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop, Golden Anise Hyssop.

More about golden jubilee anise hyssop

About Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee' · also called Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop, Golden Anise Hyssop · herb

Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is a 2003 All-America Selections winner grown for its luminous gold-green foliage and lavender-blue flower spikes. The leaves carry a strong anise-liquorice fragrance and are used as a culinary herb and in teas. An excellent pollinator plant, it attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds through summer and into autumn.

Cold limit: USDA 4–9 · RHS H6 (−20°C to 35°C)

Watch for — Short-lived perennial: Agastache foeniculum can be short-lived in heavier soils or cold, wet winters. Ensure sharp drainage, avoid cutting back in autumn (stems protect the crown), and divide or propagate every 2–3 years to maintain stock.

What golden jubilee anise hyssop's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — golden jubilee anise hyssop is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H6 means: Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe. 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 −20 to −15 °C. Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for golden jubilee anise hyssop as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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 golden jubilee anise hyssop 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 golden jubilee anise hyssop can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is golden jubilee anise hyssop cold hardy?

Yes — golden jubilee anise hyssop is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop 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 golden jubilee anise hyssop can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is golden jubilee anise hyssop?

Golden Jubilee Anise Hyssop is rated USDA 4–9 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can golden jubilee anise hyssop 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 golden jubilee anise hyssop below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 to −15 °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.