Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Hare's Tail Grass (Lagurus ovatus)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Bunny Tail Grass, Hare's Tail, Rabbit Tail Grass.

More about hare's tail grass

About Hare's Tail Grass

Lagurus ovatus · also called Bunny Tail Grass, Hare's Tail · flowering

Hare's Tail Grass is a charming annual ornamental grass with soft, bristly, oval seed heads that resemble fluffy rabbit tails, turning from pale green to creamy white as they mature. It is a popular choice for dried flower arrangements. The genus Lagurus is not listed by the ASPCA as toxic and is considered pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 7-11 (grown as an annual in cooler climates) · RHS H3 (8-28°C)

What hare's tail grass's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for hare's tail grass: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H3 means: Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze. On the US scale that maps to USDA 7-11 (grown as an annual in cooler climates) — 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

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for hare's tail grass as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can hare's tail grass go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

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 hare's tail grass can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H3 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline hare's tail grass

Hare's Tail Grass is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Hare's Tail Grass hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is hare's tail grass cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for hare's tail grass: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Hare's Tail Grass is grown 7-11 (grown as an annual in cooler climates); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature hare's tail grass can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is hare's tail grass?

Hare's Tail Grass is rated USDA 7-11 (grown as an annual in cooler climates) and RHS H3 — Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze.

Can hare's tail grass survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect hare's tail grass from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.