In the Ariège, the winter cold changes a lot between the plain and the mountains. One winter in ten, it falls to about −8 °C around Pamiers, −13 °C around Foix and in the Couserans, and −15 °C in the upper Ariège.
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.
Our nursery, in Lavernose-Lacasse (Haute-Garonne), is about 1 h 15 min from Foix by road: collection is possible by appointment (Click & Collect).
- −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:
−8 °Cone winter in ten
Pamiers and the lower Ariège
Pamiers, Saverdun, Mazères, Le Vernet, Lézat-sur-Lèze, Saint-Ybars
See the citrus trees for this area
The mildest part of the département, between the Ariège plain and the hills to the north: −8 °C one winter in ten and −6 °C in an ordinary winter. Orange trees, the hardiest clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; the other clementines and lemon trees do too, with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. At the lowest points of the plain, allow one or two degrees more cold; the soil, often silty, stays wet there in winter: plant on a mound.
Montaut
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 river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet and silty.
Rootstocks to favour: C35, 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 −8 °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
-
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
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 57 available plants that withstand −8 °C
Sold out for now: 43 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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 Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Thornless Yuzu, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Yuzu, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −5 °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.
-
Carvalhal Early Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €29.75
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Star Ruby Grapefruit
down to −7 °C · €29.75
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Bergamot Fantastico
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Early Clementine
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Moon Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €41.00
-
Encore Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Purple Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €45.00
See all 15 available plants that withstand −5 °C
Sold out for now: 3 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, US SuperNa.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −5 °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
Foix, Séronais and Pays d'Olmes
Foix, Varilhes, Le Mas-d'Azil, La Bastide-de-Sérou, Lavelanet, Léran, Mirepoix
See the citrus trees for this area
The foothills, from the Plantaurel to the Pays d'Olmes: −13 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. The differences are clear: La Bastide-de-Sérou falls to −16.5 °C, while Cos, near Foix, stays at −12.5 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats need a fleece at each frost. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound.
La Bastide-de-Sérou
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, fersialsol and calcium-rich but barely chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet and silty.
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
Couserans
Saint-Girons, Saint-Lizier, Castillon-en-Couserans, Seix, Sentein, Massat, Sainte-Croix-Volvestre
See the citrus trees for this area
The Couserans: −13 °C one winter in ten and −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Saint-Girons stays at −10.5 °C, but Soulan, at 638 m, falls to −16.0 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats need a fleece, against a south-facing wall. The soil, often chalky, stays wet in winter: take care of drainage.
Augirein
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, river alluvium and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet and chalky.
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.
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Upper Ariège and the mountains
Tarascon-sur-Ariège, Ax-les-Thermes, Vicdessos, Aulus-les-Bains, Montferrier, L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre
See the citrus trees for this area
The mountains, from 700 to 1,400 m: −15 °C one winter in ten and −12 °C in an ordinary winter. Aulus-les-Bains (733 m), at the bottom of its valley, falls to −19.0 °C, lower than L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre (1,425 m). Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here, only just: at the bottom of valleys, keep a fleece for them on the coldest nights. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas need a fleece at each frost; keep the other citrus trees in pots.
Aulus-les-Bains
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium and soils very rich in humus. In practice, the soil is often clayey, silty and 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.
-
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Ybars | 330 m | −5.5 °C | −8 °C | −11.5 °C (9 February 2012) | 1 out of 24 |
| Montaut | 295 m | −5.9 °C | −8.7 °C | −11.7 °C (9 February 2012) | 1 out of 24 |
| Cos | 519 m | −6.5 °C | −12.5 °C | −14.7 °C (9 February 2012) | 3 out of 23 |
| Les Cascades | 530 m | −6.7 °C | −12.5 °C | −13.2 °C (9 February 2012) | 4 out of 24 |
| Le Mas-d'Azil | 292 m | −7.5 °C | −12 °C | −14.8 °C (9 February 2012) | 7 out of 30 |
| Cadarcet | 510 m | −7.5 °C | −14 °C | −15.5 °C (9 February 2012) | 6 out of 20 |
| Saint-Girons | 414 m | −7.6 °C | −10.5 °C | −13.8 °C (9 February 2012) | 11 out of 30 |
| Léran | 391 m | −7.7 °C | −13.1 °C | −16 °C (9 February 2012) | 6 out of 24 |
| Cerizols | 374 m | −9 °C | −12.5 °C | −15.1 °C (9 February 2012) | 16 out of 30 |
| Montferrier | 760 m | −9 °C | −14.5 °C | −15 °C (1 March 2005) | 14 out of 24 |
| Vicdessos | 750 m | −9 °C | −15 °C | −15.5 °C (8 February 2012) | 14 out of 24 |
| Soulan | 638 m | −9 °C | −16 °C | −17.5 °C (8 February 2012) | 16 out of 25 |
| Sentein (Eylie d'en Haut) | 1010 m | −9.1 °C | −13.3 °C | −15.1 °C (8 February 2012) | 12 out of 21 |
| Augirein | 655 m | −9.4 °C | −12.5 °C | −17.5 °C (8 February 2012) | 14 out of 26 |
| La Bastide-de-Sérou | 420 m | −10 °C | −16.5 °C | −17 °C (9 February 2012) | 16 out of 24 |
| Aulus-les-Bains | 733 m | −12 °C | −19 °C | −20 °C (8 February 2012) | 22 out of 22 |
| L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre | 1425 m | −12.4 °C | −15.4 °C | −16.7 °C (11 February 2012) | 21 out of 21 |
| Ascou | 1090 m | −13 °C | −16.5 °C | −17.5 °C (28 January 2005) | 28 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 9 February 2012, Saint-Girons fell to −13.8 °C and La Bastide-de-Sérou to −17.0 °C; the day before, Aulus-les-Bains recorded −20.0 °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 Ariège
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in basins. The records show it: one winter in ten, La Bastide-de-Sérou, at 420 m, falls to −16.5 °C, while Cos, near Foix at 519 m, stays at −12.5 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Allow for the mountains. In the upper Ariège, citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors, only just: keep a fleece for them on the coldest nights. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas need a fleece at each frost; keep the other citrus trees in pots.
- Take care of drainage. The soils of the plain and the Couserans often stay wet in winter; those of the foothills are often chalky. In chalky or heavy soil, plant on a mound.
- 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 Pamiers?
Yes, with a fleece. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and the lower Ariège falls to around −6 °C in an ordinary winter, −8 °C one winter in ten. Plant them against a south-facing wall and put a fleece on at each frost. Elsewhere in the département, keep them in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost. For a sour fruit in the ground, a yuzu spends the winter outdoors around Pamiers. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Ariège?
Around Pamiers, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter without protection. Around Foix and in the Couserans, choose citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C and manage there without protection; satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats cope there with a fleece. In the upper Ariège, citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 still spend the winter outdoors, only just; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas need a fleece there. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. Around Pamiers, orange trees and the hardiest clementines spend the winter in the ground without protection; the other clementines need a fleece on frosty nights, sheltered by a south-facing wall. Around Foix, in the Couserans and in the mountains, keep them in pots.
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).