Perennial Herbs by Zone

Updated September 2026 · Garden Advice Guide

Perennial herbs by zone sort into three bands. Chives, mint, lemon balm, hyssop, sage, French tarragon, thyme and oregano come back reliably in zone 5 and most of them in zone 4. Rosemary is perennial in zone 8 and warmer, and a few cold hardy cultivars such as 'Arp' and 'Madeline Hill' can make it through zone 6 in a sheltered, well drained spot. Bay laurel, lemon verbena and lemongrass are warm zone perennials, dependable only in zone 8 or warmer, and grown as annuals or container plants everywhere colder. Saffron crocus is the surprise of the group: a fall blooming bulb that returns every year in zones 6 through 9.

Look up your exact number with our free growing zone tool, then use the tables below to decide what goes in the ground and what goes in a pot.

Updated September 2026

Perennial herbs by zone: the master table

The zone range is where the herb survives winter in the ground and returns. The second column is roughly where damage starts or the plant dies, which is more useful than a zone number when a cold snap is in the forecast. The third column is what kills the herb in practice, and often it isn't cold.

For ornamental perennials sorted the same way, see our perennials by zone page.

Rosemary: which cultivars survive zone 6

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, long sold as Rosmarinus officinalis) is the herb people most want to keep outdoors past its zone, and the one that most often dies trying. The typical cultivars sold each spring, including 'Tuscan Blue', 'Barbeque' and the trailing types, are zone 8 plants and die in the first night near 10°F.

A handful of cultivars were selected for cold tolerance.

What "rated to zone 6" really means. Those ratings come from plants that made it through a zone 6 winter, usually established plants in good drainage, and often in a mild year. In practice a hardy rosemary is reliable in zone 7, survives most zone 6 winters when sited well, and dies in the hard ones. Treat an in-ground rosemary in zone 6 as a good bet, not a sure thing, and root a few cuttings in late summer as insurance.

Five things decide whether one survives zone 6:

1. Drainage first. Cold wet soil kills more rosemary than cold alone. Plant on a mound, a slope or a raised bed with coarse grit worked in, never in a low spot.
2. A south or west masonry wall. Brick and stone store daytime heat and block north wind. The difference between a warm wall and an open bed can be half a zone or more. The wall also has to leave rosemary in full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light, and our guide to full sun vs partial shade shows how to count those hours along a wall.
3. Spring planting. A rosemary planted in May has a full season to root before its first winter. One planted in October usually dies.
4. No pruning after August. Late cuts push soft growth that freezes. Save shaping for spring, once new growth starts.
5. A windbreak on the coldest nights. Winter wind dries the evergreen leaves while frozen roots can't replace the water. A burlap screen on the windward side helps, and our page on frost cloth for plants explains which fabric weights buy real degrees. Use gravel around the crown rather than wood mulch, which holds water against the stems.

In a pot, subtract about two zones of hardiness. Roots in a container outdoors in zone 6 feel something closer to zone 4 cold, so a hardy rosemary rated to zone 6 behaves like a zone 8 plant in a pot, and potted rosemary needs shelter in any zone colder than 8. Our growing herbs in pots for beginners guide covers pot size and mix.

Bay laurel

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree around the Mediterranean and a 3 to 6 foot container shrub in most of the US. In the ground it is reliable in zones 8 through 10, where it grows slowly into a large shrub or small tree, often 10 to 20 feet or more after many years.

• Leaf damage starts around 15 to 20°F, especially in winter sun and wind, where the leaves scorch brown at the edges.
• Young plants under about three years old can die outright near 10°F.
• Established plants in zone 7b often die back hard in a severe winter and resprout from the roots in late spring. On a sheltered south wall, that makes bay a marginal but real option in the warmest part of zone 7.
• Zone 7a and colder: keep it in a container and move it to shelter when nights drop below about 20°F.

Bay grows slowly, so a young plant takes years to replace. If you're on the cold edge of zone 8, grow it in a pot for its first few years and plant it out once the trunk has some bulk. Established plants can be picked year round. Older, fully mature leaves have the strongest flavor.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a tropical clumping grass, and it's perennial only where the ground doesn't freeze. It returns reliably in zones 10 and 11, and usually in zone 9 with some leaf burn in a cold winter. In zone 8 it occasionally survives a mild winter under heavy mulch, but most gardeners there grow it as an annual.

• Leaves brown near 32°F and die back in a frost.
• The crown survives light frosts if the soil stays unfrozen and fairly dry. Cold wet soil rots it.
• In zone 9, cut the clump back to about 6 inches after the first frost, cover the crown with 3 to 4 inches of straw, and pull the straw back in spring. New growth starts once the soil warms, often not until April or May.
• In zone 8 and colder, grow it as an annual. One nursery plant set out after the last frost grows into a 3 to 4 foot clump by September, which is more than most kitchens use. You can also pot up a small division in fall and keep it frost free, and the general approach to bringing herbs in for winter is covered in how to grow herbs.

Grocery store lemongrass stalks with the base still intact often root in a glass of water in two to three weeks, which gives you an easy start each spring. East Indian lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) has similar hardiness. Citronella grass is a relative grown for scent rather than cooking.

Lemon balm and lemon verbena

The two lemon herbs share a scent and almost nothing else when it comes to winter survival.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a mint family perennial hardy in zones 4 through 9. It dies to the ground in cold winters and comes back every spring on its own. Hardiness is never its problem. Spread is. It self-seeds freely, so cut it back hard right after flowering to stop seed and push a fresh flush of leaves. In zones 8 and 9 it appreciates afternoon shade and can look ragged by August in a hot summer.

Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is a deciduous woody shrub from South America, perennial in zones 8 through 10 and dependable in 9 and 10. It has the strongest, cleanest lemon scent of any herb, and it's the tender one of the pair.

• Leaves drop at the first frost, or even in a cool fall spell. That's normal, not death.
• Stems die near 28°F, and the roots survive to about 10 to 15°F if they stay dry and mulched.
• It leafs out very late. In zone 8, a lemon verbena that died back can stay bare until late May or even June. Scratch a stem with a fingernail before giving up; green under the bark means it's alive.
• In zone 7 and colder, grow it in a pot and move it somewhere frost free once it drops its leaves.

Hyssop

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is one of the toughest culinary perennials, hardy in zones 4 through 9. It's a small semi-woody shrub, 18 to 24 inches tall, with narrow aromatic leaves and blue, pink or white flower spikes that bees work all summer. It stays partly evergreen in zone 7 and warmer.

Cold rarely hurts hyssop. What kills it is what kills thyme and lavender: soggy soil in winter. Plant it in full sun with sharp drainage, and cut it back by about a third in early spring so it doesn't go woody and bare at the base. Plants tend to decline after four or five years and are easy to replace from cuttings or seed.

Don't confuse it with anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), a North American native with licorice scented leaves. It's also hardy in zones 4 through 9, but individual plants are short lived, and the patch carries on mainly through its own seedlings.

Saffron crocus

Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) is the perennial herb nobody expects to grow, and it's much easier than its reputation. It's a fall blooming bulb, hardy in zones 6 through 9, and in the right spot it comes back and multiplies every year.

• Plant corms in August or early September, 3 to 4 inches deep and 3 to 4 inches apart, in full sun and fast draining soil.
• Flowers open in October or November, about six to eight weeks after planting. Each purple flower carries three red stigmas, which are the saffron.
• Leaves grow through winter and die down in late spring. The corms then rest dry all summer, which is why they rot in irrigated beds and wet clay.
• Zone 5: possible in a raised bed with very sharp drainage and a winter mulch, but expect losses.
• Zone 10 and warmer: too little winter chill for reliable flowering.

Make sure it's saffron crocus before you harvest anything. Autumn crocus, also called meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale), blooms at the same time of year, looks very similar, and is highly poisonous in every part, including the flowers. Buy corms labeled Crocus sativus, and never harvest from an unlabeled fall crocus in an old planting. Saffron crocus has three yellow stamens and three long red stigmas that hang out of the flower, and its grassy leaves show up along with the flowers. Colchicum has six stamens, no red threads, and flowers on bare stems with no leaves, because its broad leaves come up in spring. Keep children and pets away from any colchicum.

Pick the stigmas the morning the flowers open, dry them on a paper towel for a few days, and store them in a sealed jar. Expect a small harvest. It takes well over a hundred flowers to make a gram of dried saffron, so a bed of 50 corms gives you enough threads for a few dishes in the first year, and more as the corms multiply. Squirrels and voles dig the corms, so a sheet of hardware cloth laid just under the soil surface over the planting helps where they're active.

What's perennial in your zone: shortlists

These lists assume herbs planted in the ground. Anything in a container runs about two zones less hardy.

• Zones 3 and 4: chives, mint, catnip, lovage, and in zone 4 also lemon balm, French sorrel, hyssop, anise hyssop, French tarragon and common sage in dry soil. Thyme, oregano and lavender are a gamble without steady snow cover.
• Zone 5: add thyme, Greek oregano, winter savory, English lavender and fennel. Saffron crocus only in a raised, very well drained bed.
• Zone 6: add lavandin, saffron crocus, and the cold hardy rosemary cultivars 'Arp', 'Madeline Hill' and 'Athens Blue Spire' in a sheltered, well drained spot.
• Zone 7: hardy rosemary becomes dependable, and Spanish lavender works in shelter. Bay laurel is a gamble on a south wall in zone 7b.
• Zone 8: add all common rosemary, bay laurel, lemon verbena, pineapple sage and Mexican mint marigold. Lemongrass only in a mild winter under mulch.
• Zones 9 and 10: add sweet marjoram, lemongrass and stevia. French tarragon and English lavender struggle with the humid heat and mild winters, and Mexican mint marigold makes the better tarragon substitute.

Why herb zone ratings mislead in both directions

A zone number describes the average coldest night of the year. Herbs, especially the woody Mediterranean ones, respond to much more than that.

Wet cold is worse than dry cold. A thyme in gravelly soil in zone 5 can outlive one in clay in zone 7. Sage, lavender, hyssop, rosemary and saffron crocus all die from roots sitting in cold, wet soil long before they reach their temperature limit.

Snow is insulation. A zone 5 garden with steady snow cover keeps crowns near 32°F while the air drops below zero. The same zone with bare frozen ground and wind can kill plants rated for it.

Heat and humidity cap the warm end. French tarragon needs a winter chill and fades in zone 9. English lavender and common sage rot in humid Southern summers. Mint and lovage sulk in zone 9 heat. The upper number in each range is as real as the lower one.

Your yard has microclimates. A south wall, a paved courtyard or a bed near the house foundation can run half a zone to a full zone warmer than an open bed. A frost pocket at the bottom of a slope runs colder. Check your first and last frost dates with our frost dates tool, and for the general steps that get tender plants through a cold night, see how to protect plants from frost.

Worked example: a zone 6b herb bed that comes back

A 4 by 10 foot bed against the south side of a brick garage in zone 6b, where the average coldest winter night is around minus 5°F. The soil is heavy, so the whole bed is raised 8 inches with a mix of native soil and coarse grit.

In the ground, permanent:

• Two 'Madeline Hill' rosemary at the warmest end, nearest the corner where the wall holds heat, planted 30 inches apart in May.
• One hyssop and two English lavender along the front edge, where drainage is sharpest.
• One French tarragon and one common sage in the middle.
• Chives and thyme filling the edges.
• Twenty-five saffron crocus corms planted 4 inches deep between the lavender and thyme in late August. They flower in October, just as the rest of the bed winds down.

In the ground, annual:

• Two lemongrass plants set out two weeks after the last frost. They reach 3 foot clumps by September and get harvested hard before the first frost.

In pots on the patio:

• A bay laurel in a 14 inch pot and a lemon verbena in a 12 inch pot, both moved into an unheated but frost free garage when nights reach the low 20s.

What to expect. The chives, thyme, sage, hyssop, tarragon and saffron come back every year. The lavender makes it through most winters in that drained front edge. The rosemary survives an average 6b winter against the brick; in a severe one, with a week of nights below minus 5°F, expect to lose one or both, which is why two rooted cuttings go into a pot every August. The lemongrass gets replanted each spring. The mulch across the whole bed is pea gravel, not bark, so every crown stays dry. To work out how many plants a bed that size really holds, use our plant spacing calculator. If you'd like a permanent bed that feeds you as well as seasons the food, the same plan works for asparagus, rhubarb and walking onions in our guide to perennial vegetables by zone.

FAQ

Which herbs come back every year in zone 5?

Chives, mint, lemon balm, catnip, lovage, French sorrel, hyssop, French tarragon, common sage, thyme, Greek oregano, winter savory, English lavender and fennel all return in zone 5 in well drained soil. Rosemary, bay laurel, lemon verbena and lemongrass do not survive a zone 5 winter in the ground and need to be grown as annuals or in pots.

Can rosemary survive a zone 6 winter?

Some cultivars can. 'Arp', 'Madeline Hill' (sold as 'Hill Hardy') and 'Athens Blue Spire' are commonly rated to zone 6 and survive most winters there when planted in spring against a south wall in sharp drainage. Typical rosemary dies in zone 6. Even the hardy types can be lost in a severe winter, so root a few cuttings every summer as a backup.

Is bay laurel a perennial?

Yes. Bay laurel is an evergreen shrub or tree that lives for decades in zones 8 through 10. Its leaves scorch around 15 to 20°F, and young plants can die near 10°F. In zone 7 and colder it is grown in a container and moved to shelter for the coldest part of winter.

Does lemongrass come back every year?

Only in frost free or nearly frost free climates. Lemongrass is reliably perennial in zones 10 and 11, and usually in zone 9 with mulch over the crown. The leaves die back at freezing and the crown dies once the soil freezes, so in zone 8 and colder most gardeners grow it as an annual or keep a division in a pot for winter.

Is lemon verbena cold hardy?

Only in zones 8 through 10. It drops its leaves at the first frost, the stems die near 28°F, and the roots survive down to about 10 to 15°F in dry, mulched soil. It leafs out very late in spring, sometimes not until June, so scratch a stem and check for green before pulling out a plant you think is dead.

Can you grow saffron in a cold climate?

In zone 6, yes, and in zone 5 with some effort. Saffron crocus corms are hardy in zones 6 through 9 and need full sun, sharp drainage and a dry summer rest. In zone 5, plant them in a raised bed with gritty soil and mulch them for winter. Corms planted in late summer flower the same October.

What is the hardiest perennial herb?

Chives, mint, catnip and lovage are hardy to zone 3 and survive winters well below minus 30°F. Lemon balm, hyssop and French tarragon are close behind at zone 4. Among the woody Mediterranean herbs, common sage is the hardiest, followed by thyme, Greek oregano and English lavender at zone 5.