Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Golden Sage (Salvia officinalis 'Icterina')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called golden sage, gold variegated sage.

More about golden sage

About Golden Sage

Salvia officinalis 'Icterina' · also called golden sage, gold variegated sage · herb

Golden sage is an ornamental gold-and-green variegated form of common sage with the same soft, savoury, edible leaves and a more compact, non-flowering habit. A hardy evergreen Mediterranean sub-shrub, it wants full sun and sharp drainage, tolerates drought and poor soil, and dislikes wet winter roots. Its bright foliage brightens herb beds and containers.

Cold limit: USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage) · RHS H5 (10-24°C)

Watch for — Root rot from wet soil: Cold, wet, badly drained soil rots the woody base, the commonest cause of death. Use gritty, free-draining soil and water sparingly, especially over winter.

What golden sage's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — golden sage is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage), 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 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage) — 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. Golden Sage is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for golden sage 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 golden sage go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage) 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 sage can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Golden Sage hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is golden sage cold hardy?

Yes — golden sage is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Golden Sage is hardy across USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage); 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 sage can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is golden sage?

Golden Sage is rated USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can golden sage survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-8 (hardy; the variegated form is a little more cold-sensitive than plain sage) 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 sage 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.