Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Perez's Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Perez's sea lavender, Sea lavender, Statice.

More about perez's sea lavender

About Perez's Sea Lavender

Limonium perezii · also called Perez's sea lavender, Sea lavender · flowering

Limonium perezii is a robust, evergreen shrubby perennial native to the Canary Islands, widely naturalised along the California coast and grown as an ornamental in frost-free gardens worldwide. It produces large, paddle-shaped leaves and showy, branched panicles of flowers with deep purple calyces and small white corollas, blooming almost year-round in mild climates. It thrives in full sun with excellent drainage and is highly tolerant of salt spray, coastal wind, and drought, but it is not frost-hardy — temperatures below -2°C damage or kill it. Limonium is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 · RHS H2 (2°C to 35°C)

Watch for — Frost damage: Even light frosts below -2°C will blacken and collapse the foliage and can kill the plant outright. In marginal climates, grow in containers that can be moved under cover before the first frost.

What perez's sea lavender's hardiness rating actually means

Perez's Sea Lavender is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 — 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Perez's Sea Lavender shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for perez's sea lavender as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can perez's sea lavender go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 perez's sea lavender can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline perez's sea lavender

Perez's Sea Lavender is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Perez's Sea Lavender hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is perez's sea lavender cold hardy?

Perez's Sea Lavender is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9-11 (and sheltered UK gardens) perez's sea lavender can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature perez's sea lavender can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Perez's Sea Lavender shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is perez's sea lavender?

Perez's Sea Lavender is rated USDA 9-11 and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can perez's sea lavender survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect perez's sea lavender from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.