In the Hautes-Alpes, winter is harsh everywhere. One winter in ten, the cold falls to about −15 °C around Gap, Embrun and in the south of the département, −17 °C in the Champsaur and the Valgaudemar, and −20 °C in the Buëch, the Dévoluy, the Briançonnais and the Queyras.
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:
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Gap, Embrun and the south of the département
Gap, Embrun, Tallard, Chorges, Laragne-Montéglin, Ribiers, Rosans
See the citrus trees for this area
The valleys in the south of the département, around Gap and Embrun: −15 °C one winter in ten. Gap (885 m) stays at −12.1 °C, while Tallard (593 m), lower down in the Durance valley, falls to −17.9 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here in the ground without protection, only just: keep a fleece for exceptional nights. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound.
Tallard
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, chalky soils and shallow chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky.
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.
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Satsuma China S-2
down to −12 °C · €41.00
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Changsha Mandarin
down to −12 °C · €38.00
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Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
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Trivoss No. 1
down to −14 °C · €35.00
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Citrangeremo
down to −14 °C · €29.75
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Clemyuz
down to −12 °C · €38.00
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Eremorange
down to −12 °C · €35.00
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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.
−17 °Cone winter in ten
Champsaur and Valgaudemar
Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur, Saint-Firmin, Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas, Villar-Loubière, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar
See the citrus trees for this area
The Champsaur and the Valgaudemar, between 900 and 1,300 m: −17 °C one winter in ten and −13 °C in an ordinary winter. Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live here in the ground, with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. Keep the other citrus trees in pots, brought in for the winter. The soil is often chalky.
Villar-Loubière
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has shallow chalky soils, river alluvium and foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky.
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.
−20 °Cone winter in ten
Buëch and Dévoluy
Veynes, Aspres-sur-Buëch, Le Saix, La Faurie, Dévoluy
See the citrus trees for this area
The Buëch and the Dévoluy hold the cold: −20 °C one winter in ten, and already −19 °C at Le Saix, at 801 m. No citrus tree spends the winter outdoors here without risk. Grow them in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, foot-of-slope soils and shallow chalky soils.
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 −20 °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 −17 °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 −17 °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.
−20 °Cone winter in ten
Briançonnais, Queyras and the high valleys
Briançon, Villar-Saint-Pancrace, Le Monêtier-les-Bains, Vallouise-Pelvoux, Guillestre, Saint-Véran, Ceillac, Les Orres
See the citrus trees for this area
High mountains, from 900 to nearly 2,000 m: −20 °C one winter in ten and −15 °C in an ordinary winter. The valley bottoms are the coldest: one winter in ten, Saint-Crépin (906 m) falls to −20.0 °C, lower than Saint-Véran (1,992 m). Grow your citrus trees in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
Villar-d'Arène
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, shallow chalky soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky.
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 −20 °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 −17 °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 −17 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap | 885 m | −8.1 °C | −12.1 °C | −15.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 9 out of 23 |
| Ribiers | 530 m | −9.3 °C | −13.9 °C | −14.1 °C (18 December 2010) | 15 out of 24 |
| Embrun | 873 m | −10.8 °C | −15.2 °C | −17.5 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
| Rosans | 625 m | −11.5 °C | −15.2 °C | −17.9 °C (12 February 2012) | 26 out of 30 |
| Laragne-Montéglin | 565 m | −11.7 °C | −16.1 °C | −17.4 °C (18 December 2010) | 20 out of 29 |
| Saint-Firmin | 935 m | −12 °C | −16.2 °C | −18.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
| Tallard | 593 m | −12.5 °C | −17.9 °C | −19.3 °C (18 December 2010) | 28 out of 30 |
| Saint-Jean-Saint-Nicolas | 1210 m | −12.7 °C | −16.7 °C | −19.7 °C (5 February 2012) | 21 out of 23 |
| Les Orres | 1457 m | −13 °C | −16.5 °C | −17.5 °C (18 December 2009) | 28 out of 30 |
| Villar-Loubière | 1072 m | −13 °C | −18 °C | −23.5 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 30 |
| La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar | 1270 m | −13.4 °C | −18.3 °C | −20.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 29 |
| Villar-Saint-Pancrace | 1310 m | −13.6 °C | −17.4 °C | −18 °C (5 February 2012) | 23 out of 23 |
| Pelvoux | 1270 m | −13.8 °C | −16.3 °C | −17.9 °C (13 February 1999) | 29 out of 29 |
| Le Saix | 801 m | −13.9 °C | −19 °C | −19 °C (18 December 2010) | 19 out of 21 |
| La Faurie | 825 m | −14 °C | −19.8 °C | −21.4 °C (14 February 1999) | 29 out of 29 |
| Ceillac | 1665 m | −14.2 °C | −17.5 °C | −17.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Saint-Crépin | 906 m | −14.6 °C | −20 °C | −20.6 °C (18 December 2010) | 19 out of 20 |
| Saint-Véran | 1992 m | −15 °C | −19.3 °C | −19.5 °C (11 February 1999) | 30 out of 30 |
| Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy | 1300 m | −16.1 °C | −20.9 °C | −25.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Arvieux (La Chalp) | 1690 m | −16.8 °C | −20.5 °C | −21 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Le Monêtier-les-Bains | 1459 m | −18.5 °C | −21.9 °C | −24 °C (13 February 1999) | 30 out of 30 |
| Ristolas | 1670 m | −21 °C | −24.6 °C | −26 °C (28 February 2018) | 22 out of 22 |
| Villar-d'Arène | 1665 m | −22.8 °C | −26.8 °C | −29.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 21 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 5 February 2012, Gap fell to −15.3 °C, Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy to −25.1 °C and Villar-d'Arène to −29.6 °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 Hautes-Alpes
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys. The records show it: one winter in ten, Tallard, in the Durance valley at 593 m, falls to −17.9 °C, while Gap, at 885 m, stays at −12.1 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Allow for altitude. Around Gap and Embrun, citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 cope outdoors without protection, and the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas under a fleece. In the Champsaur and the Valgaudemar, only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 stay outdoors, under a fleece. In the Buëch, the Dévoluy, the Briançonnais and the Queyras, keep your citrus trees in pots.
- Take care of drainage. The soil is often chalky. In chalky or heavy soil, plant on a mound: too much water in winter weakens the roots.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. In chalky, dry soil, FA5 does better. Our 5-step test helps you choose: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Plant in spring, once the frosts are over. The tree then has a whole season to take root before its first winter.
- 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 Gap?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Gap falls to around −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Hautes-Alpes?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C: they live in the ground without protection around Gap, Embrun and in the south of the département, and with a fleece in the Champsaur and the Valgaudemar. Higher up, keep them in pots. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors under a fleece around Gap and Embrun, against a south-facing wall; elsewhere, they stay in pots. They 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 Hautes-Alpes, even around Gap. 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 at the bottom of a valley.
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).