Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Mosquito Plant (Agastache cana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Mosquito Plant, Texas Hummingbird Mint, Double Bubble Mint, Bubblegum Mint.

More about mosquito plant

About Mosquito Plant

Agastache cana · also called Mosquito Plant, Texas Hummingbird Mint · flowering

A heat-loving, drought-tolerant perennial native to the Chihuahuan Desert borderlands of Texas and New Mexico. It produces dense spikes of deep rose-pink tubular flowers beloved by hummingbirds and butterflies from midsummer through autumn. Foliage releases a bubblegum-mint scent when crushed. Excellent for xeriscape and pollinator gardens.

Cold limit: USDA 5–9 · RHS H4 (−10°C to 40°C)

Watch for — Short lifespan in wet winters: In zones 5–6, plants may not overwinter in heavy soils. Treat as a short-lived perennial and take stem cuttings in late summer, or mulch heavily after hard frost to protect the crown.

What mosquito plant's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — mosquito plant is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 5–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. 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 −10 to −5 °C. Mosquito Plant is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for mosquito plant as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °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 mosquito plant 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 mosquito plant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Mosquito Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is mosquito plant cold hardy?

Yes — mosquito plant is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 5–9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Mosquito Plant 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 mosquito plant can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Mosquito Plant is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is mosquito plant?

Mosquito Plant is rated USDA 5–9 and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can mosquito plant 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 mosquito plant below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °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.