Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

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

Also called Tea Mint.

More about moroccan mint

About Moroccan Mint

Mentha spicata 'Moroccan' · also called Tea Mint · herb

Moroccan Mint is a clean, crisp spearmint cultivar with bright green crinkled leaves, the classic mint for Moroccan tea. A hardy, vigorous perennial, it spreads by runners and rewards moist rich soil and sun. Its low-menthol, sweet spearmint flavor stays best with frequent harvesting and containment in pots or sunken beds.

Cold limit: USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) · RHS H5 (15-24°C)

What moroccan mint's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — moroccan mint is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter), 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 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) — 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. 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 −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 moroccan mint go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) 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 H5 figure above.

Moroccan Mint hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is moroccan mint cold hardy?

Yes — moroccan mint is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Moroccan Mint is hardy across USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter); 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 −15 to −10 °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 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can moroccan mint survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-11 (perennial outdoors; dies back in winter) 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 −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.