Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pheasant Tail Grass (Anemanthele lessoniana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called pheasant tail grass, wind grass, gossamer grass.

More about pheasant tail grass

About Pheasant Tail Grass

Anemanthele lessoniana · also called pheasant tail grass, wind grass · flowering

Pheasant tail grass (Anemanthele lessoniana), a New Zealand native once classed as Stipa, is an evergreen clumping grass famed for foliage that shifts from green to fiery orange, bronze and copper as the seasons cool. In summer it throws a haze of fine, airy purplish flower panicles that catch the breeze. Drought-tolerant and graceful, it suits sunny borders, gravel gardens and containers.

Cold limit: USDA 8-11 · RHS H4 (-12 to 30°C)

Watch for — Rot in wet soil: Heavy, poorly drained or winter-wet ground rots the crown. Plant in sharply drained soil or raised beds and avoid standing moisture.

What pheasant tail grass's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — pheasant tail grass is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 8-11, 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 8-11 — 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 −10 to −5 °C. Pheasant Tail Grass is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for pheasant tail grass 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 pheasant tail grass go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 8-11 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 pheasant tail grass can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Pheasant Tail Grass hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pheasant tail grass cold hardy?

Yes — pheasant tail grass is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 8-11, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Pheasant Tail Grass is hardy across USDA 8-11; 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 pheasant tail grass can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is pheasant tail grass?

Pheasant Tail Grass is rated USDA 8-11 and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can pheasant tail grass survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 8-11 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 pheasant tail grass 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.