In the Essonne, the differences in cold are small from one end of the département to the other, but they matter for a citrus tree. One winter in ten, it falls to about −12 °C in the north, around Évry and Massy, and to −13 °C in the Hurepoix as in the south, from Étampes to Milly-la-Forêt.
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:
−12 °Cone winter in ten
Évry, Massy and the north of the Essonne
Évry-Courcouronnes, Corbeil-Essonnes, Massy, Palaiseau, Orsay, Savigny-sur-Orge, Athis-Mons, Brétigny-sur-Orge
See the citrus trees for this area
The north of the département, from Évry and Corbeil to Massy and Orsay, is the least cold part: −12 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. The three stations are close together, from −11.7 °C at Brétigny-sur-Orge to −12.0 °C at Gometz-le-Châtel. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Orange trees, the other clementines and lemon trees stay in pots. The soil is clay and often chalky.
Brétigny-sur-Orge
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, chalky soils and soils over clay, waterlogged in winter. 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 −12 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
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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
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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
Hurepoix, Arpajon and Dourdan
Arpajon, Égly, Briis-sous-Forges, Limours, Saint-Chéron, Dourdan
See the citrus trees for this area
The Hurepoix, from Arpajon to Limours and Dourdan: −13 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Fontenay-lès-Briis, at 109 m, falls to −13.5 °C, Dourdan to −12.9 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats need a fleece on frosty nights. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil, silty and clay, often stays wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Fontenay-lès-Briis
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils over clay, waterlogged in winter and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, silty, winter-wet and clayey.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then FA5. 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.
−13 °Cone winter in ten
Étampes, the Beauce and the Gâtinais
Étampes, Méréville, Angerville, La Ferté-Alais, Maisse, Milly-la-Forêt, Boigneville
See the citrus trees for this area
The south, from the Beauce around Étampes to the Gâtinais around Milly-la-Forêt: −13 °C one winter in ten, −9 °C in an ordinary winter. The Juine valley freezes harder: Méréville falls to −15.5 °C there one winter in ten, while Boigneville and Courdimanche-sur-Essonne stay at −13.2 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats under a fleece. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is often chalky.
Méréville
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, waterlogged soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, silty and winter-wet.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then FA5. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orly (airport) | 86 m | −7.1 °C | −11.8 °C | −13.3 °C (8 January 2010) | 5 out of 30 |
| Gometz-le-Châtel | 159 m | −7.3 °C | −12 °C | −13 °C (8 January 2010) | 10 out of 30 |
| Brétigny-sur-Orge | 78 m | −7.4 °C | −11.7 °C | −20.6 °C (8 January 2010) | 10 out of 30 |
| Fontenay-lès-Briis | 109 m | −7.8 °C | −13.5 °C | −17 °C (8 January 2010) | 10 out of 25 |
| Dourdan | 116 m | −8 °C | −12.9 °C | −16.2 °C (8 January 2010) | 10 out of 29 |
| Boigneville | 115 m | −8.3 °C | −13.2 °C | −14.7 °C (8 January 2010) | 11 out of 23 |
| Courdimanche-sur-Essonne | 71 m | −9 °C | −13.2 °C | −14.6 °C (8 January 2010) | 15 out of 29 |
| Méréville | 122 m | −9 °C | −15.5 °C | −15.5 °C (7 January 2009) | 13 out of 23 |
“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 8 January 2010, Fontenay-lès-Briis fell to −17.0 °C and Dourdan to −16.2 °C, while Orly stayed at −13.3 °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 Essonne
- Look at where the river runs. The Orge, the Juine, the Essonne and the Rémarde cut valleys where cold air settles on clear nights. One winter in ten, Méréville, on the banks of the Juine, falls 2.3 °C lower than Boigneville. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, not at the bottom of the garden.
- Make use of the shelter of the town. In the north of the département, an enclosed courtyard or a south-facing house wall is a little milder than the station: it is the best place for kumquats, the other satsumas and the hardiest clementines, under their fleece on frosty nights.
- Lighten heavy soils. In the Hurepoix, the soil is silty, clay and often wet in winter; in the south, it is often chalky. Plant on a mound to keep the collar dry.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant; in chalky, dry soil, as in the Beauce, FA5 does better. Take our 5-step test: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Plant in spring, after the last frosts, so that the tree takes root before 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
Will a lemon tree survive in the ground in Évry?
No. It withstands about −5 °C, and the north of the Essonne falls to −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep it in a pot, on the terrace in summer and protected from frost in winter. For a sour fruit in the garden, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 withstand −15 °C and spend the winter outdoors without protection throughout the département; the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) withstand −12 °C: without protection around Évry, with a fleece on frosty nights in the rest of the département. See Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees should I choose for a garden in the Essonne?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection everywhere. In the north, the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas also manage without it; in the Hurepoix and the south, they need a fleece on frosty nights, as do kumquats everywhere. See Hardy citrus and Japanese citrus.
Can I plant an orange tree or a clementine?
Orange trees withstand about −8 °C and clementines −7 to −9 °C: in the Essonne, only the hardiest clementines can try the ground, with a fleece, in the north of the département, against a south-facing wall. Elsewhere, and for orange trees, 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 area, then the nearby station in the table of readings. The relief is gentle: what matters most is your position. At the bottom of a valley, count one or two degrees less; in town, against a south-facing wall, a little better.
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).