In the Somme, winter gets colder the further you go from the English Channel. One winter in ten, it falls to about −11 °C on the Picardy coast, −12 °C around Abbeville, −13 °C in Amiens and −14 °C in the Santerre and the Haute-Somme.
We went through thirty winters of Météo-France records, from 1996 to 2026, and compared them with the hardiness of each of our plants. Choose your area below. You will find:
- the citrus trees that spend the winter outdoors without protection;
- those that need a fleece on frosty nights;
- those that stay in a pot.
The lists are kept up to date: only the plants available today are shown with a photo.
- −5 °C or milder
- −6 to −7 °C
- −8 to −9 °C
- −10 to −11 °C
- −12 to −13 °C
- −14 to −15 °C
- −16 to −17 °C
- −18 to −19 °C
- −20 °C and colder
Colour: the cold of one winter in ten, on the plain. Click on a neighbouring département to see its page. Map of the whole of France.
Choose your area:
−11 °Cone winter in ten
Picardy coast and the Baie de Somme
Cayeux-sur-Mer, Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Le Crotoy, Fort-Mahon-Plage, Quend, Rue
See the citrus trees for this area
The coast, from Cayeux to the Marquenterre, benefits from the sea: −11 °C one winter in ten at Cayeux-sur-Mer and −6 °C in an ordinary winter, one to three degrees better than inland. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines with a fleece on frosty nights. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. Shelter them from the sea wind and the salt spray, behind a hedge or a wall. The soil is often silty.
Cayeux-sur-Mer
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has sands, salty coastal soils and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often silty.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then FA5.
Your plot may be different. Look at the Géoportail soil map (in French) around your home, then refine with our 5-step test.
In open ground, without protection
They withstand −11 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
-
Satsuma China S-2
down to −12 °C · €41.00
-
Changsha Mandarin
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
-
Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Morton Citrange
down to −15 °C · €35.00
-
Clemyuz
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Eremorange
down to −12 °C · €35.00
See all 19 available plants that withstand −11 °C
Sold out for now: 12 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Hana Yuzu, Satsuma Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Thornless Yuzu, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −8 °C. A winter fleece put on at each frost and removed as soon as the frost stops, and a sheltered spot against a south-facing wall.
-
Satsuma Miyagawa
down to −10 °C · €38.00
-
Ermelo Orange
down to −10 °C · €47.00
-
Kishu Kino Kuni Mandarin
down to −10 °C · €42.00
-
Welker Grapefruit
down to −10 °C · €35.00
-
Kinkoji
down to −10 °C · €38.00
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Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuko
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 38 available plants that withstand −8 °C
Sold out for now: 31 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Corsican Mountain Orange, Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Haruka, Harumi, Hassaku, Hyuganatsu, Jabara, Juanita Mandarin, Kino Kuni Mikakukishu Mandarin, Mapo Tangelo, Meiwa Kumquat, Minneola, Moro Orange, Nameiwa Kumquat, Natsudaidai, Ota 38 Tangor, Rio Red Grapefruit, Salustiana Orange, Sanbokan, Satsuma China S-3, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Pucheng, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −8 °C): in a large pot, outdoors from spring to autumn and brought into a bright, frost-free room for the winter. All our citrus trees.
−12 °Cone winter in ten
Abbeville, Ponthieu and Vimeu
Abbeville, Nouvion, Crécy-en-Ponthieu, Oisemont, Gamaches, Hallencourt, Ailly-le-Haut-Clocher
See the citrus trees for this area
Abbeville and the plateaus of the Ponthieu and the Vimeu: −12 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Abbeville stays at −11.8 °C; Nouvion, at 23 m, falls to −13.5 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines need a fleece. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is silty, sometimes wet in winter: avoid places where water lies.
Nouvion
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, sands and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often silty and winter-wet.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then 4475.
Your plot may be different. Look at the Géoportail soil map (in French) around your home, then refine with our 5-step test.
In open ground, without protection
They withstand −12 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
-
Satsuma China S-2
down to −12 °C · €41.00
-
Changsha Mandarin
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Morton Citrange
down to −15 °C · €35.00
-
Clemyuz
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Eremorange
down to −12 °C · €35.00
-
Satsuma Owari FS
down to −12 °C · €42.00
See all 17 available plants that withstand −12 °C
Sold out for now: 11 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Hana Yuzu, Satsuma Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Thornless Yuzu, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −9 °C. A winter fleece put on at each frost and removed as soon as the frost stops, and a sheltered spot against a south-facing wall.
-
Satsuma Miyagawa
down to −10 °C · €38.00
-
Ermelo Orange
down to −10 °C · €47.00
-
Shekwasha
down to −11 °C · €34.85
-
Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
-
Kinkoji
down to −10 °C · €38.00
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuko
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 21 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 20 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Corsican Mountain Orange, Haruka, Harumi, Hyuganatsu, Jabara, Juanita Mandarin, Kino Kuni Mikakukishu Mandarin, Mapo Tangelo, Meiwa Kumquat, Minneola, Nameiwa Kumquat, Natsudaidai, Rio Red Grapefruit, Sanbokan, Satsuma China S-3, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −9 °C): in a large pot, outdoors from spring to autumn and brought into a bright, frost-free room for the winter. All our citrus trees.
−13 °Cone winter in ten
Amiens and the Somme valley
Amiens, Longueau, Corbie, Albert, Villers-Bocage, Doullens
See the citrus trees for this area
Amiens, the Somme valley and the plateaus up to Doullens: −13 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter. The four stations are close together, from −12.7 °C at Amiens-Glisy to −13.3 °C at Méaulte, near Albert. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats with a fleece; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil, silty and often clay, holds water in winter: plant on a mound.
Amiens-Glisy
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, chalky soils and river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often silty and clayey.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then FA5.
Your plot may be different. Look at the Géoportail soil map (in French) around your home, then refine with our 5-step test.
In open ground, without protection
They withstand −13 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −10 °C. A winter fleece put on at each frost and removed as soon as the frost stops, and a sheltered spot against a south-facing wall.
-
Satsuma China S-2
down to −12 °C · €41.00
-
Ermelo Orange
down to −10 °C · €47.00
-
Changsha Mandarin
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
-
Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
-
Ichang Lemon Shangyuan
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
-
US 119
down to −12 °C · €35.00
See all 27 available plants that withstand −10 °C
Sold out for now: 25 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Harumi, Jabara, Juanita Mandarin, Kino Kuni Mikakukishu Mandarin, Meiwa Kumquat, Minneola, Nameiwa Kumquat, Rio Red Grapefruit, Sanbokan, Satsuma China S-3, Satsuma Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Thornless Yuzu.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −10 °C): in a large pot, outdoors from spring to autumn and brought into a bright, frost-free room for the winter. All our citrus trees.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Santerre and Haute-Somme
Péronne, Roye, Ham, Nesle, Rosières-en-Santerre, Chaulnes, Montdidier
See the citrus trees for this area
The large plateaus of the Santerre and the Haute-Somme, open to the wind: −14 °C one winter in ten, the coldest area in the département. In January 2009, Rouvroy-en-Santerre recorded −17.5 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here without protection, sheltered by a south-facing wall; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece on very cold nights. Keep the other citrus trees in pots. The soil is silty.
Rouvroy-en-Santerre
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, shallow chalky soils and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often silty.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then FA5.
Your plot may be different. Look at the Géoportail soil map (in French) around your home, then refine with our 5-step test.
In open ground, without protection
They withstand −14 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −11 °C. A winter fleece put on at each frost and removed as soon as the frost stops, and a sheltered spot against a south-facing wall.
-
Satsuma China S-2
down to −12 °C · €41.00
-
Changsha Mandarin
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
-
Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
-
Ichang Lemon Shangyuan
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
US 119
down to −12 °C · €35.00
-
Clemyuz
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Eremorange
down to −12 °C · €35.00
See all 14 available plants that withstand −11 °C
Sold out for now: 10 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Satsuma Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Thornless Yuzu.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −11 °C): in a large pot, outdoors from spring to autumn and brought into a bright, frost-free room for the winter. All our citrus trees.
Readings from the Météo-France stations (winters 1996-1997 to 2025-2026)
| Station | Altitude | Ordinary winter | One winter in ten | Record | Winters at −9 °C or below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayeux-sur-Mer | 4 m | −5.8 °C | −10.6 °C | −13.8 °C (12 February 2012) | 3 out of 20 |
| Abbeville | 69 m | −6.2 °C | −11.8 °C | −12.7 °C (10 January 2009) | 6 out of 30 |
| Oisemont | 121 m | −7 °C | −12 °C | −13.2 °C (29 December 1996) | 8 out of 30 |
| Bernaville | 146 m | −7.2 °C | −13 °C | −13.2 °C (16 January 2013) | 8 out of 29 |
| Rouvroy-en-Santerre | 95 m | −7.3 °C | −14.4 °C | −17.5 °C (7 January 2009) | 11 out of 30 |
| Harbonnières | 89 m | −7.5 °C | −14 °C | −15 °C (7 January 2009) | 8 out of 22 |
| Méaulte | 107 m | −7.7 °C | −13.3 °C | −13.7 °C (17 January 2013) | 7 out of 28 |
| Estrées-Mons (INRAE) | 87 m | −7.7 °C | −13.4 °C | −15.8 °C (7 January 2009) | 9 out of 29 |
| Amiens-Glisy | 60 m | −7.7 °C | −12.7 °C | −14.6 °C (10 January 2009) | 12 out of 29 |
| Saint-Gratien | 110 m | −7.7 °C | −12.9 °C | −13.5 °C (1 January 1997) | 9 out of 24 |
| Épehy | 117 m | −7.8 °C | −13.8 °C | −14.4 °C (18 December 2010) | 11 out of 30 |
| Nouvion | 23 m | −7.8 °C | −13.5 °C | −14 °C (7 January 2009) | 8 out of 20 |
“Ordinary winter”: half of the winters go colder, the other half less cold. “One winter in ten”: this cold is reached or exceeded in about one winter in ten. Calculations by the Greffeur d'agrumes nursery.
How to read these figures
The hardiness given on our product pages is the cold that an adult, healthy and hardened citrus tree withstands during a short frost. We compare it with the cold that comes back about one winter in ten: a plant listed “without protection” withstands at least that cold. In harsher winters, about three in thirty, keep a winter fleece ready for the coldest nights.
Very harsh winters are still possible. In early January 2009, Rouvroy-en-Santerre fell to −17.5 °C, Estrées-Mons to −15.8 °C and Amiens-Glisy to −14.6 °C. Even the coast does not escape: Cayeux-sur-Mer recorded −13.8 °C in February 2012. Such cold can burn the leaves or a few shoots of a citrus tree that is only just hardy enough. Wait for spring to see what grows back before pruning.
To understand what helps a tree get through frost, read Understanding citrus hardiness.
Our advice for the Somme
- On the coast, choose according to the minimum cold. Near the sea, conditions are favoured: one winter in ten, Cayeux-sur-Mer stays at −10.6 °C while Amiens-Glisy falls to −12.7 °C. Choose the citrus trees that withstand that cold, and plant them sheltered from the sea wind and the salt spray.
- Break the wind on the plateaus. In the Santerre, the Ponthieu and the Vimeu, nothing stops the winter wind. A hedge, a wall or the corner of a south-facing building gains precious degrees.
- Avoid low spots. At night, cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and hollows. The records show it: Nouvion, at 23 m, falls 1.7 °C lower than Abbeville one winter in ten. Plant halfway up a slope, never at the bottom of the garden.
- Drain the silts. The soil of the Somme is mainly silty, often clay around Amiens, and holds water in winter. Plant on a mound. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant rootstock; to choose one for your soil, take our 5-step test: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Plant in spring, once the frosts are over, so that the tree takes root before its first winter. From September onwards, no fertiliser and no pruning.
- Protect young plants on nights below −5 °C during the first years. Put the winter fleece on at each frost and take it off as soon as the frost stops.
- Mulch in summer only, against drought, without the straw touching the trunk. Pull it away from the foot of the tree at the end of autumn: moisture at the collar encourages phytophthora.
Frequently asked questions
Can I plant a lemon tree in the ground in Amiens?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Amiens-Glisy went below that level in 26 winters out of 29. Even on the coast, the cold of one winter in ten is too severe. Keep it in a pot, in a bright room protected from frost in winter. See Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the Picardy winter?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter without protection throughout the département. On the coast and around Abbeville, so do the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas; the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece there. Around Amiens, the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats can be tried with a fleece on frosty nights; in the Santerre, only the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas, under a fleece. See Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. On the Picardy coast, orange trees and the hardiest clementines can be tried in the ground with a fleece at each frost, sheltered from the sea wind; around Abbeville, only the hardiest clementines. Elsewhere, grow them in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
My town is not listed: which area should I choose?
Look at your distance from the sea: a few kilometres from the coast, take the coastal area; further inland, the area whose nearest station appears in the table of readings. At the bottom of a valley, take off one or two degrees.
These figures are guidelines. Your garden may be milder or colder than the nearest station. A question about your plot? Write to us.
Sources: Météo-France, daily basic climatological data (data.gouv.fr, Licence Ouverte 2.0); near the eastern border, also the Deutscher Wetterdienst (Datenlizenz Deutschland 2.0); towns, altitudes and boundaries: INSEE, IGN (Admin Express, RGE ALTI) and geo.api.gouv.fr (Licence Ouverte); soils: dominant soil map INRAE / Gis Sol (Licence Ouverte). Topsoil lime: LUCAS, European Commission, JRC (ESDAC, Ballabio et al. 2019).