Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Lemon Catnip (Nepeta cataria 'Citriodora')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lemon Catnip, Citron Catnip.

More about lemon catnip

About Lemon Catnip

Nepeta cataria 'Citriodora' · also called Lemon Catnip, Citron Catnip · herb

Lemon Catnip is a lemon-scented cultivar of common catnip that is less attractive to cats than the species. It thrives in full sun with well-drained soil and is drought-tolerant once established. Bees and butterflies love it. Cut back after flowering to encourage a second flush and prevent self-seeding.

Cold limit: USDA 3–9 · RHS H7 (−20°C to 35°C)

What lemon catnip's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — lemon catnip is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3–9 — 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 below about −20 °C. Lemon Catnip is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for lemon catnip as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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 lemon catnip go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3–9 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 lemon catnip can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Lemon Catnip hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is lemon catnip cold hardy?

Yes — lemon catnip is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Lemon Catnip is hardy across USDA 3–9; 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 lemon catnip can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly below about −20 °C. Lemon Catnip is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is lemon catnip?

Lemon Catnip is rated USDA 3–9 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can lemon catnip survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3–9 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 lemon catnip below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −20 °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.