Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Meadow Clary (Salvia pratensis)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Meadow Clary, Meadow Sage.

More about meadow clary

About Meadow Clary

Salvia pratensis · also called Meadow Clary, Meadow Sage · flowering

Salvia pratensis is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial native to meadows and grasslands across Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. It produces erect stems bearing long spikes of violet-blue flowers (occasionally pink or white) from late spring through midsummer, and is highly valued for pollinators including bees and butterflies. Deadhead spent flower spikes promptly to encourage a second flush of bloom and to prevent the short-lived perennial from exhausting itself. This species has no known toxicity hazards and is not listed as toxic to cats or dogs by the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 3-8 · RHS H7 (-20–30°C)

What meadow clary's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — meadow clary is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8, 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 3-8 — 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. Meadow Clary is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for meadow clary 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 meadow clary go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 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 meadow clary can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Meadow Clary hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is meadow clary cold hardy?

Yes — meadow clary is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H7 and USDA 3-8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Meadow Clary is hardy across USDA 3-8; 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 meadow clary can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is meadow clary?

Meadow Clary is rated USDA 3-8 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can meadow clary survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 3-8 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 meadow clary 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.