The Ain has cold winters, and the cold changes a lot from one place to another. One winter in ten, it falls to about −14 °C in the Dombes, −15 °C around Belley, −16 °C in the Pays de Gex, −17 °C in Bourg-en-Bresse and −19 °C in the Haut-Bugey.
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:
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Dombes and the Saône valley
Trévoux, Montmerle-sur-Saône, Thoissey, Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, Villars-les-Dombes, Marlieux, Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans
See the citrus trees for this area
The plateau of ponds and the banks of the Saône are the least cold part of the Ain: −14 °C one winter in ten, −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here in the ground without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece on frosty nights. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The silty soil often stays wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Marlieux
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, soils waterlogged part of the year and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet 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 −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.
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Belley and the Bas-Bugey
Belley, Culoz, Virieu-le-Grand, Artemare, Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey, Tenay
See the citrus trees for this area
The south of the Bugey, around Belley and in the Albarine gorge: −15 °C one winter in ten. Belley is the mildest place in the Ain (−12.5 °C), Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey falls to −16 °C. The soil is often chalky. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here without protection, only just: keep a fleece for exceptional nights. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece, against a south-facing wall; the other citrus trees stay in pots.
Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium and shallow chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet and silty.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −15 °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 −12 °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
-
Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
-
Trivoss No. 1
down to −14 °C · €35.00
-
Citrangeremo
down to −14 °C · €29.75
-
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 14 available plants that withstand −12 °C
Sold out for now: 9 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 Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Thornless Yuzu.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −12 °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.
−16 °Cone winter in ten
Pays de Gex and Bellegarde
Gex, Divonne-les-Bains, Cessy, Ferney-Voltaire, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Valserhône (Bellegarde)
See the citrus trees for this area
At the foot of the Jura, on soil that is often chalky and wet in winter: −16 °C one winter in ten, −11 °C in an ordinary winter. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live here in the ground with a fleece on very cold nights; the other citrus trees stay in pots. Take care of drainage and plant sheltered from the bise, the cold north wind, against a south-facing wall.
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, silty soils and river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often chalky and winter-wet.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −16 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
None of our available plants withstands this cold without protection: choose pot culture.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −13 °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.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −13 °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.
−17 °Cone winter in ten
Bresse, Revermont and the Ain plain
Bourg-en-Bresse, Ceyzériat, Saint-Étienne-du-Bois, Saint-Julien-sur-Reyssouze, Pont-de-Vaux, Ambérieu-en-Bugey, Meximieux, Loyettes
See the citrus trees for this area
Bourg-en-Bresse, the foot of the Revermont and the Ain plain: −17 °C one winter in ten. Ceyzériat falls to −16.6 °C, Ambérieu-en-Bugey to −16.7 °C, Saint-Étienne-du-Bois to −17.5 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live here in the ground with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall; the other citrus trees stay in pots, brought in for the winter. The soil, often clay, holds water: plant on a mound.
Saint-Julien-sur-Reyssouze
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, soils over clay, waterlogged in winter and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often clayey, chalky, silty and winter-wet.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −17 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
None of our available plants withstands this cold without protection: choose pot culture.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −14 °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.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −14 °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.
−19 °Cone winter in ten
Haut-Bugey, Valromey and the plateaus
Oyonnax, Arbent, Nantua, Cerdon, Hauteville-Lompnes, Champagne-en-Valromey, Giron
See the citrus trees for this area
The mountains and the combes (small enclosed valleys) of the Jura: −19 °C one winter in ten, and −24.1 °C recorded at Arbent in February 2012. The bottoms of the combes are the coldest: Arbent and Vieu-d'Izenave fall below −23 °C one winter in ten. Citrus trees stay in pots here, brought in for the winter.
Arbent
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, very thin soils over rock and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky and winter-wet.
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 −19 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
None of our available plants withstands this cold without protection: choose pot culture.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −16 °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.
No plant available in this range for now.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −16 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belley | 330 m | −7.6 °C | −12.5 °C | −13.4 °C (6 February 2012) | 8 out of 25 |
| Baneins | 242 m | −8.5 °C | −13.5 °C | −15 °C (30 December 2005) | 12 out of 24 |
| Marlieux | 277 m | −9 °C | −14.5 °C | −16.3 °C (20 December 2009) | 17 out of 30 |
| Saint-Julien-sur-Reyssouze | 189 m | −9.1 °C | −14.7 °C | −19 °C (20 December 2009) | 17 out of 30 |
| Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey (2) | 296 m | −9.9 °C | −14.9 °C | −16.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 14 out of 22 |
| Cessy | 507 m | −10.2 °C | −16 °C | −16.3 °C (1 February 2003) | 15 out of 24 |
| La Balme-sur-Cerdon | 596 m | −10.3 °C | −16.6 °C | −18 °C (4 February 2012) | 12 out of 20 |
| Ambérieu-en-Bugey | 250 m | −10.4 °C | −16.7 °C | −17.3 °C (30 December 2005) | 19 out of 30 |
| Ceyzériat | 260 m | −10.4 °C | −16.6 °C | −17.6 °C (20 December 2009) | 18 out of 30 |
| Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | 350 m | −10.9 °C | −14.6 °C | −17 °C (5 February 2012) | 18 out of 27 |
| Loyettes | 198 m | −11 °C | −15 °C | −17 °C (20 December 2009) | 16 out of 23 |
| Saint-Étienne-du-Bois | 243 m | −11.2 °C | −17.5 °C | −17.8 °C (30 December 2005) | 16 out of 22 |
| Divonne-les-Bains | 467 m | −11.3 °C | −15.5 °C | −16.5 °C (5 February 2012) | 15 out of 23 |
| Sutrieu | 878 m | −11.4 °C | −17.4 °C | −17.7 °C (20 December 2009) | 20 out of 22 |
| Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey | 287 m | −12 °C | −16 °C | −17 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 23 |
| Giron | 1009 m | −12 °C | −18 °C | −19.5 °C (5 February 2012) | 19 out of 21 |
| Bénonces | 944 m | −14 °C | −19 °C | −21.5 °C (7 February 2012) | 23 out of 24 |
| Arbent | 534 m | −16.4 °C | −23.9 °C | −24.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 21 out of 22 |
| Vieu-d'Izenave | 616 m | −17.2 °C | −23.3 °C | −24.1 °C (7 February 2012) | 23 out of 24 |
“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, Belley fell to −13.4 °C and Arbent to −24.1 °C; in December 2009, Saint-Julien-sur-Reyssouze recorded −19 °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 Ain
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and combes (small enclosed valleys). The records show it: one winter in ten, Arbent and Vieu-d'Izenave fall below −23 °C, while Giron, at 1,009 m, stays at −18 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take care of drainage. The soils of the Dombes and the Bresse often stay wet in winter. In heavy or chalky soil, plant on a mound.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. In the Ain, the cold comes first: Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. Our 5-step test helps you choose: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Keep some citrus trees in pots. Orange trees, clementines and lemon trees cannot spend the winter outdoors anywhere in the Ain. Bring them into a bright room protected from frost.
- Plant in spring, once the frosts are over, and 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 Bourg-en-Bresse?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Bourg-en-Bresse falls to around −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. For a sour fruit in the ground, the hardiest lemon substitutes are suitable: without protection in the Dombes and the Bas-Bugey, with a fleece in the Pays de Gex and the Bresse. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Ain?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C: they spend the winter without protection in the Dombes and around Belley, and with a fleece in the Pays de Gex and the Bresse. In the Haut-Bugey, keep them in pots. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas live outdoors with a fleece in the Dombes and around Belley; elsewhere in the Ain, they stay in pots. The most cold-resistant citrus trees are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety: that is not enough for the Ain, even in the Dombes. Grow them in pots and bring them in for the winter.
My town is not listed: which area should I choose?
Take the nearest area at the same altitude, then compare with the nearest station in the table of readings. Take off about one degree for every 150 m of extra altitude, and one or two degrees if you are in a hollow.
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).