Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Moroccan Mint (Mentha spicata 'Moroccan')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Moroccan Mint, Spearmint 'Moroccan'.

More about moroccan mint

About Moroccan Mint

Mentha spicata 'Moroccan' · also called Moroccan Mint, Spearmint 'Moroccan' · herb

Moroccan Mint is the classic tea mint of North African cuisine, prized for its exceptionally sweet, smooth spearmint flavour with little of the harsh bite of peppermint. It grows vigorously, spreading by underground runners. Ideal for mint tea, salads, and cocktails, it is best grown in a container to restrain its spreading habit.

Cold limit: USDA 5–9 · RHS H6 (5–30°C)

What moroccan mint's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — moroccan mint 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. Moroccan Mint is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

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

Moroccan Mint hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is moroccan mint cold hardy?

Yes — moroccan mint 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. Moroccan Mint 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 moroccan mint can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is moroccan mint?

Moroccan Mint is rated USDA 5–9 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can moroccan mint 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 moroccan mint 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.