In the Ardennes, winter is cold everywhere, and even more so in the valleys. One winter in ten, it falls to about −14 °C on the Rocroi plateau and in the Rethélois, −15 °C in Charleville-Mézières and Sedan, and −16 °C in the Pointe de Givet.
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
Rocroi plateau and Thiérache
Rocroi, Signy-l'Abbaye, Signy-le-Petit, Maubert-Fontaine, Liart, Renwez
See the citrus trees for this area
The plateau, at nearly 400 m, gets less severe frost than the valleys one winter in ten: −12.8 °C at Rocroi, −15.0 °C at Signy-l'Abbaye. Expect −14 °C for the area. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil often stays wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Signy-l'Abbaye
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, silty soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet.
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.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Rethélois, Crêtes and Argonne
Rethel, Vouziers, Juniville, Asfeld, Château-Porcien, Le Chesne
See the citrus trees for this area
The Champagne plains and the Crêtes in the south of the département: −14 °C one winter in ten and −10 °C in an ordinary winter. The differences are clear: Banogne-Recouvrance stays at −12.0 °C, Cauroy falls to −15.8 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is often chalky, sometimes wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Cauroy
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 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 −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
Charleville-Mézières, Sedan and the Meuse valley
Charleville-Mézières, Sedan, Nouzonville, Douzy, Carignan, Mouzon
See the citrus trees for this area
The valley of the Meuse and the Chiers holds the cold: −15 °C one winter in ten, and −16.3 °C at Charleville-Mézières. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors 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. The alluvial soils often stay wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Charleville-Mézières
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, silty soils and waterlogged soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, chalky, clayey 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
Pointe de Givet and the Ardennes Meuse
Givet, Revin, Fumay, Haybes, Vireux-Molhain, Monthermé
See the citrus trees for this area
The Meuse, deep in the Ardennes massif: −16 °C one winter in ten, and −19.3 °C recorded at Ham-sur-Meuse in January 2009. Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live outdoors here, under a fleece at each frost; keep the other citrus trees in pots. The soil, often silty, stays wet in winter.
Ham-sur-Meuse
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, ordinary brown soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet, clayey 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 −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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saulces-Champenoises | 147 m | −7.7 °C | −13.8 °C | −13.9 °C (7 February 2012) | 8 out of 22 |
| Banogne-Recouvrance | 130 m | −8.1 °C | −12 °C | −13 °C (7 January 2009) | 10 out of 23 |
| Rocroi | 382 m | −8.3 °C | −12.8 °C | −14.7 °C (4 February 2012) | 12 out of 27 |
| Montcy-Saint-Pierre | 145 m | −9.5 °C | −14 °C | −15 °C (3 January 2004) | 17 out of 23 |
| Ham-sur-Meuse | 109 m | −9.9 °C | −16.2 °C | −19.3 °C (7 January 2009) | 17 out of 28 |
| Revin | 130 m | −10 °C | −15 °C | −15 °C (1 January 1997) | 15 out of 22 |
| Le Chesne | 168 m | −10 °C | −13.4 °C | −15 °C (20 December 2009) | 14 out of 20 |
| Signy-l'Abbaye | 180 m | −10 °C | −15 °C | −15.6 °C (7 January 2009) | 22 out of 30 |
| Douzy | 153 m | −10.1 °C | −14.5 °C | −14.8 °C (3 January 2004) | 17 out of 24 |
| Juniville | 90 m | −10.3 °C | −14.5 °C | −15.5 °C (1 January 1997) | 22 out of 29 |
| Charleville-Mézières | 145 m | −10.9 °C | −16.3 °C | −17.5 °C (1 January 1997) | 24 out of 30 |
| Cauroy | 139 m | −11 °C | −15.8 °C | −16 °C (7 February 2012) | 18 out of 25 |
| Linay | 177 m | −11 °C | −14.5 °C | −16.7 °C (7 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
“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, Charleville-Mézières fell to −17.5 °C; on 7 January 2009, Ham-sur-Meuse recorded −19.3 °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 Ardennes
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys. The records show it: one winter in ten, Charleville-Mézières, in the Meuse valley, falls to −16.3 °C, while Rocroi, on the plateau at 382 m, stays at −12.8 °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 alluvial soils of the Meuse and the soils of the plateau often stay wet in winter. Plant on a mound: too much water weakens the roots in cold weather.
- 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 Charleville-Mézières?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Charleville-Mézières falls to around −11 °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 Ardennes?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C: they spend the winter without protection in almost the whole département; in the Pointe de Givet, give them a fleece on frosty nights. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas live outdoors with a fleece, against a south-facing wall, except in the Pointe de Givet, where 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 Ardennes. 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, then compare with the nearest station in the table of readings. In the Ardennes, position matters more than distance: take off one or two degrees if you are at the bottom of a valley, and add one or two on the plateau.
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).