In the Vendée, the ocean clearly softens the winter. One winter in ten, the cold falls to about −6 °C on the islands of Noirmoutier and Yeu, −9 °C on the coast and on the Luçon plain, and −10 °C in the bocage, a country of small fields and hedges, around La Roche-sur-Yon.
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:
−6 °Cone winter in ten
Islands of Noirmoutier and Yeu
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, Barbâtre, La Guérinière, L'Épine, L'Île-d'Yeu
See the citrus trees for this area
The two islands, surrounded by the ocean, are the mildest land in the département: −6 °C one winter in ten, −2 °C in an ordinary winter. Orange trees, clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; lemon trees with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. Shelter them from the wind laden with salt spray, behind a hedge or a low wall.
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has sodisalisol, silty soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey, salty (sea spray, marshes), winter-wet, acid and silty.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −6 °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
-
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
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 65 available plants that withstand −6 °C
Sold out for now: 46 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hana Yuzu, Haruka, Harumi, Hassaku, Hyuganatsu, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Jabara, Juanita Mandarin, Kino Kuni Mikakukishu Mandarin, Mandalate 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 Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Thornless Yuzu, US SuperNa, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Yuzu, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −3 °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.
-
Eureka Lemon
down to −5 °C · €29.75
-
Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime
down to −3 °C · €36.55
-
Lunario Lemon
down to −5 °C · €29.75
-
Makrut Lime
down to −5 °C · €32.30
-
Menton Lemon
down to −5 °C · €34.85
-
Meyer Lemon
down to −5 °C · €38.00
-
Tahiti Lime
down to −5 °C · €35.00
-
Verna Lemon
down to −5 °C · €35.00
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −3 °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.
−9 °Cone winter in ten
The Vendée coast and the Marais Breton
Les Sables-d'Olonne, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Saint-Jean-de-Monts, Notre-Dame-de-Monts, Challans, Talmont-Saint-Hilaire, La Tranche-sur-Mer
See the citrus trees for this area
The coast, from the Marais Breton to La Tranche-sur-Mer: −9 °C one winter in ten, −5 °C in an ordinary winter. The seaside is not equally mild everywhere: Château-d'Olonne stays at −7.7 °C, but Saint-Jean-de-Monts, on the edge of the Marais Breton, falls to −10.5 °C. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats, citranges and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and the other clementines with a fleece. Lemon trees stay in pots. The soil, often clay and acid, is wet in the marshes and sometimes salty near the sea.
Saint-Jean-de-Monts
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils waterlogged part of the year, salty coastal soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often clayey, salty (sea spray, marshes), winter-wet, acid and silty.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −9 °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
-
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
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 38 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 31 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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 Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Thornless Yuzu, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −6 °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.
-
Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Fina Clementine
down to −8 °C · €29.75
-
Enzo Grapefruit
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Murcott Tangor
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Citradia
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Glauca
down to −8 °C · €38.00
See all 27 available plants that withstand −6 °C
Sold out for now: 15 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hassaku, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Moro Orange, Ota 38 Tangor, Salustiana Orange, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, US SuperNa, 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 −6 °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.
−9 °Cone winter in ten
Luçon plain and Marais Poitevin
Fontenay-le-Comte, Luçon, Sainte-Hermine, Chaillé-les-Marais, Maillezais, Benet
See the citrus trees for this area
The Luçon plain and the south of the Marais Poitevin, around Fontenay-le-Comte: −9 °C one winter in ten, −5 °C in an ordinary winter, but Fontenay recorded −12.2 °C in February 2012. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats, citranges and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and the other clementines with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees stay in pots. The soil, clay, often chalky and sometimes salty in the marsh, calls for a mound.
Fontenay-le-Comte
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has shallow chalky soils, salty coastal soils and sodisalisol. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey, silty and salty (sea spray, marshes).
Rootstock to favour: 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 −9 °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
-
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
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 38 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 31 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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 Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Thornless Yuzu, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −6 °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.
-
Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Fina Clementine
down to −8 °C · €29.75
-
Enzo Grapefruit
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Murcott Tangor
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Citradia
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Glauca
down to −8 °C · €38.00
See all 27 available plants that withstand −6 °C
Sold out for now: 15 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hassaku, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Moro Orange, Ota 38 Tangor, Salustiana Orange, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, US SuperNa, 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 −6 °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.
−10 °Cone winter in ten
La Roche-sur-Yon and the bocage
La Roche-sur-Yon, Aizenay, Montaigu, Les Herbiers, Chantonnay, Pouzauges, Rocheservière, Palluau
See the citrus trees for this area
The bocage, from La Roche-sur-Yon to the hills of Pouzauges: −10 °C one winter in ten, −6 °C in an ordinary winter. The hills are not the coldest places: Pouzauges, at 153 m, stays at −9.6 °C, while Les Landes-Genusson, at 100 m, falls to −11.0 °C. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and clementines with a fleece on frosty nights. Lemon trees stay in pots. The soil is acid, clay and often wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Les Landes-Genusson
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, soils waterlogged part of the year and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, acid, clayey and 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 −10 °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
-
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
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
-
Morton Citrange
down to −15 °C · €35.00
See all 32 available plants that withstand −10 °C
Sold out for now: 27 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −7 °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.
-
Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Clemenules Clementine
down to −9 °C · €35.00
-
Marsh Seedless Grapefruit
down to −9 °C · €29.75
-
Kabosu
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuko
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
See all 33 available plants that withstand −7 °C
Sold out for now: 19 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Haruka, Hassaku, Hyuganatsu, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Mapo Tangelo, Moro Orange, Natsudaidai, Ota 38 Tangor, Salustiana Orange, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, US SuperNa, 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 −7 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L'Île-d'Yeu | 32 m | −2.1 °C | −6 °C | −7.9 °C (29 December 1996) | 0 out of 30 |
| Noirmoutier-en-l'Île | 3 m | −2.2 °C | −5.4 °C | −8.4 °C (2 January 1997) | 0 out of 29 |
| Château-d'Olonne | 27 m | −4.1 °C | −7.7 °C | −8.3 °C (12 February 2012) | 0 out of 22 |
| La Mothe-Achard | 58 m | −4.6 °C | −8.6 °C | −10.1 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Pouzauges | 153 m | −5.2 °C | −9.6 °C | −11 °C (2 January 1997) | 4 out of 30 |
| Sainte-Gemme-la-Plaine | 3 m | −5.2 °C | −9.1 °C | −9.9 °C (2 January 1997) | 3 out of 30 |
| Le Perrier | 2 m | −5.3 °C | −8.7 °C | −10.2 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Fontenay-le-Comte | 20 m | −5.3 °C | −9.2 °C | −12.2 °C (6 February 2012) | 3 out of 30 |
| Rocheservière | 43 m | −5.9 °C | −10 °C | −11.1 °C (2 January 1997) | 5 out of 30 |
| Palluau | 51 m | −6 °C | −10.2 °C | −10.6 °C (2 January 1997) | 4 out of 30 |
| Chantonnay | 93 m | −6.3 °C | −9.7 °C | −11.5 °C (31 December 1996) | 5 out of 30 |
| La Roche-sur-Yon | 88 m | −6.4 °C | −9.9 °C | −11.2 °C (2 January 1997) | 5 out of 30 |
| Angles | 10 m | −6.5 °C | −9.5 °C | −10.5 °C (1 March 2005) | 3 out of 24 |
| Saint-Jean-de-Monts | 3 m | −6.5 °C | −10.5 °C | −10.7 °C (1 March 2005) | 6 out of 24 |
| Les Landes-Genusson | 100 m | −6.8 °C | −11 °C | −11.8 °C (1 March 2005) | 5 out of 21 |
“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. On 2 January 1997, La Roche-sur-Yon fell to −11.2 °C and Noirmoutier to −8.4 °C. On 1 March 2005, Les Landes-Genusson recorded −11.8 °C, and in February 2012, Fontenay-le-Comte −12.2 °C. 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 Vendée
- On the coast, choose according to the minimum cold. Conditions there are favourable, but not the same everywhere: one winter in ten, the Île d'Yeu stays at −6.0 °C, Château-d'Olonne at −7.7 °C, while Saint-Jean-de-Monts falls to −10.5 °C. Look at the nearest station before you choose.
- Shelter from the sea wind. On the coast and the islands, the wind and the salt spray damage the leaves. A hedge, a low wall or a south-facing wall protects the tree all year round.
- In the marshes, raise the planting. The soils of the Marais Breton and the Marais Poitevin are clay, wet in winter and sometimes salty. Plant on a mound, away from the ditches.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. In the bocage, the soil is acid: 4475 adapts to it, in a large hole with improved soil, with more water in summer. On the chalky plain, FA5 does better. Take our 5-step test: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Plant in spring, once the frosts are over. From September onwards, no more 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
Is a lemon tree in the ground possible in La Roche-sur-Yon?
It is too risky. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and La Roche-sur-Yon goes below that threshold 23 winters out of 30. Keep it in a pot. On the islands of Noirmoutier and Yeu, however, it can live in the ground with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. See Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Vendée?
Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter without protection throughout the département. They are brought together in Hardy citrus and Satsumas.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. On the islands, orange trees and clementines spend the winter outdoors without protection. On the coast and on the Luçon plain, the hardiest clementines also manage without it; orange trees and the other clementines are grown with a fleece on frosty nights. In the bocage, orange trees and clementines live in the ground with a fleece.
My town is not listed: which area should I choose?
Within a few kilometres of the sea, take the coast area; inland, the bocage or the plain, depending on your nearest station in the table of readings. On the edge of a marsh or in a low spot, 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).