Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Wall Germander (Teucrium chamaedrys)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Wall Germander, Germander.

More about wall germander

About Wall Germander

Teucrium chamaedrys · also called Wall Germander, Germander · herb

Wall germander is a compact, semi-evergreen subshrub native to dry, rocky hillsides and old walls across southern and central Europe into western Asia, belonging to the family Lamiaceae. It tolerates poor, alkaline, free-draining soils and thrives in full sun with minimal water once established, making it an excellent low edging plant for dry gardens and knot gardens. The most important care fact is that it must never sit in waterlogged soil, which quickly causes root rot. It contains hepatotoxic neoclerodane diterpenes (including teucrin A) and is considered toxic to pets and humans in significant quantities.

Cold limit: USDA 5-9 · RHS H5 (-15 to 35°C)

Watch for — Root rot from waterlogging: The leading cause of plant death; stems blacken at the base and the plant collapses rapidly. Plant only in sharply drained soil and avoid any irrigation during wet winters.

What wall germander's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — wall germander is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 5-9 — 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 −15 to −10 °C. Wall Germander is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for wall germander as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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 wall germander go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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 wall germander can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Wall Germander hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is wall germander cold hardy?

Yes — wall germander is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H5 and USDA 5-9, it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Wall Germander is hardy across USDA 5-9; 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 wall germander can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −15 to −10 °C. Wall Germander is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is wall germander?

Wall Germander is rated USDA 5-9 and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can wall germander survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 5-9 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.

What happens to wall germander below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −15 to −10 °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.