In the Vienne, it is not the south that freezes most, but the north-west and the valley bottoms. One winter in ten, the cold falls to about −11 °C around Montmorillon, Civray and Châtellerault, −12 °C in Poitiers and −13 °C in the Loudunais.
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
The Civraisien and the Montmorillonnais
Civray, Charroux, Gençay, L'Isle-Jourdain, Availles-Limouzine, Montmorillon, Lussac-les-Châteaux
See the citrus trees for this area
The south of the département, from Civray to Montmorillon: −11 °C one winter in ten, −6 °C in an ordinary winter. Civray stays at −10.5 °C and Montmorillon at −10.9 °C; on the banks of the Vienne, Le Vigeant falls to −11.8 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil, clay, often acid and wet in winter, calls for a mound.
La Ferrière-Airoux
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, soils over clay, waterlogged in winter and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often clayey, silty, winter-wet and acid.
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
-
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.
−11 °Cone winter in ten
Châtellerault and the north-east
Châtellerault, Naintré, Dangé-Saint-Romain, Ingrandes, Thuré, Archigny, Pleumartin
See the citrus trees for this area
Châtellerault and the north-east: −11 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter, but with large differences. Archigny, at 138 m, stays at −10.0 °C; Dangé-Saint-Romain, on the banks of the Vienne, falls to −15.7 °C and recorded −18.1 °C in February 2012. Away from the valley bottoms, citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines need a fleece. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil, chalky and clay, calls for a mound.
Dangé-Saint-Romain (Fleau)
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, ordinary brown soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey and silty.
Rootstocks to favour: FA5, then Poncirus. Poncirus only if the active lime stays below about 5% (soil analysis).
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
-
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
Poitiers and the Haut-Poitou
Poitiers, Buxerolles, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, Jaunay-Marigny, Neuville-de-Poitou, Vouillé, Lusignan
See the citrus trees for this area
Poitiers and the Haut-Poitou, from Neuville-de-Poitou to Lusignan: −12 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Poitiers-Biard and Neuville-de-Poitou fall to −12.5 °C, Lusignan and Benassay, to the west, to −11.3 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines with a fleece. Orange trees, lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil is clay and silt: in heavy soil, plant on a mound.
Neuville-de-Poitou
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, chalky soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often 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 −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
The Loudunais and the Mirebalais
Loudun, Les Trois-Moutiers, Monts-sur-Guesnes, Moncontour, Mirebeau, Lencloître
See the citrus trees for this area
The Loudunais and the Mirebalais, in the north-west: −13 °C one winter in ten, the coldest area of the département. Loudun stays at −12.2 °C, but Doussay, near Lencloître, falls to −14.4 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats with a fleece; orange trees, clementines and lemon trees stay in pots. The soil, chalky and clay, is best worked into a mound.
Doussay
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, calcium-rich but barely chalky soils and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey and silty.
Rootstocks to favour: FA5, then Poncirus. Poncirus only if the active lime stays below about 5% (soil analysis).
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civray | 143 m | −5.5 °C | −10.5 °C | −12.7 °C (9 February 2012) | 5 out of 30 |
| La Ferrière-Airoux | 122 m | −5.7 °C | −12 °C | −16.8 °C (9 February 2012) | 6 out of 30 |
| Lusignan (INRAE) | 152 m | −6.1 °C | −11.3 °C | −12 °C (12 February 2012) | 5 out of 30 |
| Archigny | 138 m | −6.2 °C | −10 °C | −13.9 °C (7 February 2012) | 3 out of 26 |
| Montmorillon | 153 m | −6.3 °C | −10.9 °C | −15.6 °C (9 February 2012) | 6 out of 30 |
| Doussay | 95 m | −6.5 °C | −14.4 °C | −16.8 °C (11 February 2012) | 7 out of 20 |
| Benassay | 150 m | −6.6 °C | −11.3 °C | −13.1 °C (2 January 1997) | 4 out of 23 |
| Thuré | 120 m | −6.6 °C | −10.8 °C | −11 °C (7 January 2009) | 4 out of 23 |
| Loudun | 96 m | −6.6 °C | −12.2 °C | −14.3 °C (12 February 2012) | 6 out of 30 |
| Le Vigeant | 117 m | −7 °C | −11.8 °C | −16.7 °C (9 February 2012) | 9 out of 30 |
| Poitiers-Biard | 125 m | −7.2 °C | −12.5 °C | −13.2 °C (11 February 2012) | 8 out of 30 |
| Dangé-Saint-Romain (Fleau) | 70 m | −7.9 °C | −15.7 °C | −18.1 °C (9 February 2012) | 9 out of 20 |
| Neuville-de-Poitou | 110 m | −8 °C | −12.5 °C | −15.7 °C (12 February 2012) | 8 out of 26 |
“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 February 2012, the whole département froze hard: −18.1 °C at Dangé-Saint-Romain, −16.8 °C at La Ferrière-Airoux and Doussay, −15.6 °C at Montmorillon, −13.2 °C at Poitiers-Biard. 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 Vienne
- Keep away from riverbanks. At night, cold air slides down towards the Vienne, the Clain and their tributaries, and collects there. One winter in ten, Dangé-Saint-Romain, on the banks of the Vienne, falls to −15.7 °C, while Archigny, higher up, stays at −10.0 °C. On a hillside or against a south-facing wall, your citrus trees gain several degrees.
- Plant on a mound in heavy soil. The département mainly has clay soils: chalky in the north, around Loudun and Châtellerault, more often acid and wet in winter in the south.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant and copes better with drought. In chalky, dry soil, FA5 does better; in acid soil, 4475 adapts, in a large hole with improved soil, with more water in summer. Our 5-step test helps you: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Plant in spring, once the frosts are over. From September onwards, no fertiliser and no pruning, so that the tree hardens off.
- 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 grow a lemon tree in the ground in Poitiers?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Poitiers-Biard has gone below that threshold 28 winters out of 30. Keep it in a pot and protect it from frost in winter. For a sour fruit in the garden, think of the yuzu: see Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Vienne?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, everywhere. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas also spend the winter without protection in the south, around Châtellerault and in Poitiers; the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece there. In the Loudunais, the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats are grown with a fleece. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. In the south and around Châtellerault, orange trees and the hardiest clementines can be tried in the ground with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; in Poitiers, only the hardiest clementines. Elsewhere, and for the other varieties, keep them in pots, outdoors in summer and protected from frost in winter.
My town is not listed: which area should I choose?
Take the nearest station in the table of readings and its area. If your garden is at the bottom of a valley, count two degrees less, sometimes more; on an open plateau, keep the figure for the area.
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).