Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Marseille Germander (Teucrium massiliense)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Marseille Germander, Hybrid Germander.

More about marseille germander

About Marseille Germander

Teucrium massiliense · also called Marseille Germander, Hybrid Germander · flowering

Teucrium massiliense is a deciduous Mediterranean subshrub native to southern France and surrounding coastal regions, growing to around 1 m tall with grey-tomentose stems and small pink flowers that appear in summer and sometimes again in early autumn. It demands full sun and alkaline, sharply drained soil, rewarding neglect with drought tolerance rather than regular irrigation. After two to three years of establishment virtually no supplemental watering is needed. The plant is mildly toxic if ingested due to diterpene compounds present throughout the Teucrium genus.

Cold limit: USDA 6-9 · RHS H5 (-10 to 30°C)

Watch for — Winter waterlogging: Grey-leaved, tomentose Teucrium species are especially sensitive to wet roots in winter; raised beds or very gritty soils are strongly recommended in high-rainfall UK gardens.

What marseille germander's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — marseille germander is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 6-9, 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 6-9 — 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. Marseille Germander is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for marseille germander 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 marseille germander go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 6-9 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 marseille germander can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Marseille Germander hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is marseille germander cold hardy?

Yes — marseille germander is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 6-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Marseille Germander is hardy across USDA 6-9; 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 marseille germander can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is marseille germander?

Marseille Germander is rated USDA 6-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can marseille germander survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 6-9 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 marseille germander 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.