Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Summer Savory Cuban (Satureja douglasii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Yerba Buena, Oregon Tea, Creeping Savory.

More about summer savory cuban

About Summer Savory Cuban

Satureja douglasii · also called Yerba Buena, Oregon Tea · herb

Satureja douglasii, known as yerba buena, is a low, trailing mint-family herb from the woodlands of western North America. Its slender stems root as they creep, carrying small rounded leaves with a sweet, minty-savory aroma used for herbal teas. It thrives in dappled woodland shade and stays well under ankle height.

Cold limit: USDA 7-9 · RHS H4 (10-24°C)

What summer savory cuban's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — summer savory cuban is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 7-9, 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 7-9 — 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. Summer Savory Cuban is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for summer savory cuban 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 summer savory cuban go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 7-9 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 summer savory cuban can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline summer savory cuban

Summer Savory Cuban is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

At the cold edge of its range, mulch the root zone in late autumn to buffer the deepest freezes.
Protect container specimens — pots freeze through far faster than open ground, costing roughly a zone of hardiness.
Shelter new growth from late spring frosts with fleece if a hard night is forecast.

Summer Savory Cuban hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is summer savory cuban cold hardy?

Yes — summer savory cuban is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 7-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Summer Savory Cuban is hardy across USDA 7-9; 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 summer savory cuban can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is summer savory cuban?

Summer Savory Cuban is rated USDA 7-9 and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can summer savory cuban survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 7-9 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.

How do I protect summer savory cuban from frost?

At the cold edge of its range, mulch the root zone in late autumn to buffer the deepest freezes. Protect container specimens — pots freeze through far faster than open ground, costing roughly a zone of hardiness. Shelter new growth from late spring frosts with fleece if a hard night is forecast.