Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Greek yarrow (Achillea taygetea)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Greek yarrow, Taygetos yarrow.

More about greek yarrow

About Greek yarrow

Achillea taygetea · also called Greek yarrow, Taygetos yarrow · flowering

A delicate, silver-leaved yarrow native to the mountains of southern Greece, bearing pale lemon-yellow, flat-topped flowerheads on graceful stems throughout summer. Its soft, finely divided grey-silver foliage is aromatic and ornamental year-round. Ideal for silver-themed borders, gravel gardens, and sunny dry slopes; tolerates poor soils and moderate drought with ease.

Cold limit: USDA 5–9 · RHS H5 (-20 to 35°C)

Watch for — Winter crown rot: Wet winter conditions in poorly drained soils are fatal. Improve drainage with grit or plant on a raised berm. In wet climates, a light gravel mulch around the crown helps deflect moisture.

What greek yarrow's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — greek yarrow 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. Greek yarrow is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for greek yarrow 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 greek yarrow 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 greek yarrow can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Greek yarrow hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is greek yarrow cold hardy?

Yes — greek yarrow 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. Greek yarrow 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 greek yarrow can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is greek yarrow?

Greek yarrow is rated USDA 5–9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can greek yarrow 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 greek yarrow 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.