Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Vera lavender (Lavandula angustifolia 'Vera')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Vera lavender, True lavender, Old English lavender.

More about vera lavender

About Vera lavender

Lavandula angustifolia 'Vera' · also called Vera lavender, True lavender · herb

A vigorous, bushy English lavender cultivar with long, fragrant pale lavender-blue flower spikes on stout stems, well-suited to commercial essential-oil production and large garden borders. 'Vera' is one of the most cold-hardy and fragrant angustifolia selections, thriving in full sun and well-drained alkaline soils. Excellent for hedging, drying, and attracting bees.

Cold limit: USDA 5–8 · RHS H6 (-20 to 35°C)

What vera lavender's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — vera lavender is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5–8, 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 5–8 — 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. Vera lavender is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for vera lavender 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 vera lavender go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5–8 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 vera lavender can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H6 figure above.

Vera lavender hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is vera lavender cold hardy?

Yes — vera lavender is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H6 and USDA 5–8, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Vera lavender is hardy across USDA 5–8; 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 vera lavender can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is vera lavender?

Vera lavender is rated USDA 5–8 and RHS H6 — Hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe.

Can vera lavender survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5–8 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 vera lavender 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.