Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pyrenean Lily (Lilium pyrenaicum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Pyrenean lily, Yellow Turk's-cap lily, Yellow martagon lily.

More about pyrenean lily

About Pyrenean Lily

Lilium pyrenaicum · also called Pyrenean lily, Yellow Turk's-cap lily · flowering

Lilium pyrenaicum is a species lily native to the Pyrenees and northern Iberian Peninsula, growing in mountain meadows and woodland edges at elevations up to 2,000 m. It produces pendulous, strongly reflexed yellow flowers spotted dark maroon in the throat, borne in racemes of up to 12 blooms on stems 60–120 cm tall. Plant bulbs 15 cm deep in autumn in moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil with the base of the plant shaded and the upper growth in full sun; it tolerates alkaline conditions better than most lilies. Toxic to cats — all parts can cause acute kidney failure; mildly GI irritant to dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 4-7 · RHS H6 (-20 to 25°C)

What pyrenean lily's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — pyrenean lily is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4-7, 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 4-7 — 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. Pyrenean Lily is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for pyrenean lily 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 pyrenean lily go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4-7 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 pyrenean lily can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Pyrenean Lily hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pyrenean lily cold hardy?

Yes — pyrenean lily is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 4-7, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Pyrenean Lily is hardy across USDA 4-7; 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 pyrenean lily can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is pyrenean lily?

Pyrenean Lily is rated USDA 4-7 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can pyrenean lily survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-7 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 pyrenean lily 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.