In the Val-de-Marne, two kinds of winter sit side by side. Near Paris, along the Marne and the Seine, the town keeps the heat: one winter in ten, the cold falls to about −11 °C there. Towards the Brie plateau, from Sucy-en-Brie to Mandres-les-Roses, the countryside freezes harder: −13 °C one winter in ten.
We went through the Météo-France records of four stations in the département, for the winters 1996-1997 to 2025-2026; three of them have shorter series, of 20 to 24 winters. We 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
Créteil, Vitry and the banks of the Marne and the Seine
Créteil, Vitry-sur-Seine, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Champigny-sur-Marne, Ivry-sur-Seine, Vincennes, Maisons-Alfort, Villejuif
See the citrus trees for this area
From Vincennes and Ivry to Créteil, the town softens the winter: −11 °C one winter in ten, −6 °C in an ordinary winter. Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, in its loop of the Marne, stays at −10.0 °C; Joinville-le-Pont and Limeil-Brévannes fall to −11.0 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines with a fleece, at the foot of a south-facing wall. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots.
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium. 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 −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.
−13 °Cone winter in ten
The Brie plateau, from Sucy to Mandres-les-Roses
Sucy-en-Brie, Boissy-Saint-Léger, Villecresnes, Marolles-en-Brie, Santeny, Mandres-les-Roses, Périgny
See the citrus trees for this area
Towards the Brie, the countryside freezes harder: −13 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Mandres-les-Roses, at 93 m, is the coldest hollow in the records: almost two degrees below Limeil-Brévannes one winter in ten, and −16.0 °C on 8 January 2010. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats need a fleece on frosty nights. The soil is mainly silt and clay: if it is heavy, plant on a mound.
Mandres-les-Roses
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, chalky soils and river alluvium. 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 −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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joinville-le-Pont | 37 m | −5.5 °C | −11 °C | −12 °C (1 January 1997) | 2 out of 24 |
| Saint-Maur-des-Fossés | 48 m | −5.9 °C | −10 °C | −12.1 °C (1 January 1997) | 4 out of 30 |
| Limeil-Brévannes | 45 m | −7 °C | −11 °C | −12 °C (8 January 2010) | 5 out of 21 |
| Mandres-les-Roses | 93 m | −8 °C | −12.9 °C | −16 °C (8 January 2010) | 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. On 1 January 1997, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés fell to −12.1 °C. On 8 January 2010, Mandres-les-Roses recorded −16.0 °C, while Limeil-Brévannes, a few kilometres away, stopped at −12 °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 Val-de-Marne
- In town, every wall counts. The records show it: Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, surrounded by houses, is the mildest station in the département. The foot of a south-facing wall or an enclosed courtyard is a little milder still than the station.
- In the Brie, beware of open ground. On an open lawn or at the edge of a field, cold air settles on clear nights: Mandres-les-Roses falls almost two degrees lower than Limeil-Brévannes one winter in ten. Plant near the house, in the shelter of a hedge or a wall, never at the low point of the plot.
- On a terrace or a balcony, insulate the pot. Roots suffer from frost before the branches. Wrap the container on frosty nights, set it on feet and empty the saucer. Move the pots closer to the front of the building, sheltered from the wind.
- Match the rootstock to your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant; FA5 does better in chalky, dry soil. On the clay silts of the Brie, plant on a mound if the soil is heavy. 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, stop fertiliser and pruning.
- Look after young plants in the first years: a winter fleece as soon as the night drops below −5 °C, put on at each frost and taken off as soon as the frost stops.
- Mulch only in summer, to keep the soil cool, without the straw touching the trunk. At the end of autumn, clear the foot of the tree: moisture at the collar encourages phytophthora.
Frequently asked questions
Can a lemon tree spend the winter outdoors in Vitry-sur-Seine or Créteil?
Not in the ground. The lemon tree withstands about −5 °C, and at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés that cold is reached about three winters out of four. Grow it in a pot, on a south-facing terrace, and bring it in, protected from frost, for the winter. For a sour fruit in the garden, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 withstand −15 °C, the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) −12 °C: see Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees hold out on the Brie plateau?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C, stay outdoors there without protection. Satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats also live there in the ground, with a fleece on frosty nights. Near Paris, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas do without protection; the other satsumas and kumquats hold out with a fleece. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about an orange tree or a clementine?
Near Paris, it is possible with a fleece: orange trees withstand −8 °C, clementines −7 to −9 °C, and the cold of one winter in ten there is −11 °C. Orange trees and the hardiest clementines are grown in the ground there with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; keep the other clementines in pots. On the Brie plateau, at −13 °C one winter in ten, grow them in pots and shelter them when it freezes hard.
My town is not listed: which area should I take?
If you are in town, between Paris, the Marne and the Seine, take the first area. If your garden looks out onto the Brie countryside, onto fields or the edge of a wood, take the second. Between the two, count one or two degrees of difference.
These figures are guidelines. Your garden, balcony or terrace 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).