Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Jupiter's Distaff (Salvia glutinosa)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Jupiter's Distaff, Sticky Sage, Glutinous Sage.

More about jupiter's distaff

About Jupiter's Distaff

Salvia glutinosa · also called Jupiter's Distaff, Sticky Sage · flowering

Jupiter's distaff is a robust, clump-forming herbaceous perennial native to shaded woodland edges and moist forest margins across Europe and southwest Asia, from the Pyrenees east to the Caucasus and Himalayan foothills. Its faintly sticky, resinous stems (which give it the Latin name glutinosa) carry whorls of soft pale yellow flowers marked with brown from midsummer through early autumn — an unusual colour in the salvia world. It is one of the hardiest shade-tolerant salvias available, making it invaluable for planting under deciduous trees. The Salvia genus is listed as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses by the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H6 (-20 to 30°C)

What jupiter's distaff's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — jupiter's distaff is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9, 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 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 −20 to −15 °C. Jupiter's Distaff is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for jupiter's distaff 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 jupiter's distaff 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 jupiter's distaff can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Jupiter's Distaff hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is jupiter's distaff cold hardy?

Yes — jupiter's distaff is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Jupiter's Distaff 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 jupiter's distaff can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −20 to −15 °C. Jupiter's Distaff is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is jupiter's distaff?

Jupiter's Distaff is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can jupiter's distaff 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 jupiter's distaff 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.