In the Calvados, the winter cold changes from one place to another. One winter in ten, it falls to about −7 °C on the Côte de Nacre and the Bessin coast, −9 °C in the Vire bocage, −10 °C in Caen and on the plain, and −11 °C in the Pays d'Auge.
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:
−7 °Cone winter in ten
Côte de Nacre and the Bessin coast
Ouistreham, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, Arromanches-les-Bains, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, Grandcamp-Maisy
See the citrus trees for this area
The coast, softened by the sea: −7 °C one winter in ten and −4 °C in an ordinary winter. Orange trees, clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here. Lemon trees need a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. Shelter them from the sea wind. The soil often stays wet in winter: take care of drainage.
Englesqueville-la-Percée
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 waterlogged soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet and silty.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then 4475.
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 −7 °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 65 available plants that withstand −7 °C
Sold out for now: 46 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, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Jabara, Juanita Mandarin, Kino Kuni Mikakukishu Mandarin, Mandalate 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, US SuperNa, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Yuzu, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −4 °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 −4 °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.
−9 °Cone winter in ten
Vire bocage and Pré-Bocage
Vire, Villers-Bocage, Aunay-sur-Odon, Caumont-l'Éventé, Le Bény-Bocage, Condé-sur-Noireau
See the citrus trees for this area
The bocage, with more rain: −9 °C one winter in ten and −6 °C in an ordinary winter. Valley bottoms are clearly colder: one winter in ten, Vire (racecourse, 100 m) falls to −12.1 °C, Le Gast (336 m) to −8.3 °C. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats, citranges and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and the other clementines need a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees stay in pots. The soil is often acid.
Vire (hippodrome)
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has thin acid soils, ordinary brown soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often acid.
Rootstocks to favour: Poncirus, then 4475.
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 −9 °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 38 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 31 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, Haruka, Harumi, Hyuganatsu, Jabara, Juanita Mandarin, Kino Kuni Mikakukishu Mandarin, Mapo Tangelo, Meiwa Kumquat, Minneola, Nameiwa Kumquat, Natsudaidai, 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, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −6 °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.
-
Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Fina Clementine
down to −8 °C · €29.75
-
Enzo Grapefruit
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Murcott Tangor
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Citradia
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Glauca
down to −8 °C · €38.00
See all 27 available plants that withstand −6 °C
Sold out for now: 15 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hassaku, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Moro Orange, Ota 38 Tangor, Salustiana Orange, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, US SuperNa, 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 −6 °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.
−10 °Cone winter in ten
Caen, the Caen plain and Falaise
Caen, Hérouville-Saint-Clair, Ifs, Mondeville, Argences, Saint-Sylvain, Falaise
See the citrus trees for this area
The very open Caen plain and the Falaise area: −10 °C one winter in ten and −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Argences falls lower, to −12.0 °C; Damblainville stays at −8.8 °C. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and clementines need a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees stay in pots. The soil, often chalky, sometimes stays wet in winter: in heavy soil, plant on a mound.
Fresney-le-Vieux
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils waterlogged part of the year, shallow chalky soils and thin acid 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 −10 °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
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
-
Morton Citrange
down to −15 °C · €35.00
See all 32 available plants that withstand −10 °C
Sold out for now: 27 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −7 °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.
-
Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Clemenules Clementine
down to −9 °C · €35.00
-
Marsh Seedless Grapefruit
down to −9 °C · €29.75
-
Kabosu
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuko
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
See all 33 available plants that withstand −7 °C
Sold out for now: 19 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Haruka, Hassaku, Hyuganatsu, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Mapo Tangelo, Moro Orange, Natsudaidai, Ota 38 Tangor, Salustiana Orange, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, US SuperNa, 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 −7 °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.
−11 °Cone winter in ten
Pays d'Auge
Lisieux, Pont-l'Évêque, Honfleur, Livarot, Orbec, Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives
See the citrus trees for this area
The valleys and pastures of the Pays d'Auge: −11 °C one winter in ten and −7 °C in an ordinary winter. The cold collects in low ground: L'Oudon (52 m) falls to −14.0 °C, Saint-Michel-de-Livet (140 m) to −11.0 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines need a fleece. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil stays wet in winter, sometimes clay: plant on a mound.
L'Oudon (Lieury)
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils waterlogged part of the year, silty soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet and clayey.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Englesqueville-la-Percée | 38 m | −3.8 °C | −7 °C | −12 °C (2 January 1997) | 1 out of 30 |
| Bernières-sur-Mer | 2 m | −4.2 °C | −7.5 °C | −8 °C (9 January 2009) | 0 out of 25 |
| Livry | 194 m | −4.9 °C | −8.2 °C | −12.3 °C (2 January 1997) | 1 out of 28 |
| Saint-Georges-d'Aunay | 185 m | −5.6 °C | −8.9 °C | −10.1 °C (28 February 2018) | 1 out of 23 |
| Le Gast | 336 m | −5.8 °C | −8.3 °C | −10 °C (28 February 2018) | 2 out of 29 |
| Caen-Carpiquet | 67 m | −5.8 °C | −10.2 °C | −12 °C (2 January 1997) | 6 out of 30 |
| Damblainville | 155 m | −6.1 °C | −8.8 °C | −9.9 °C (11 February 2012) | 2 out of 29 |
| Saint-Gatien-des-Bois | 139 m | −6.1 °C | −10.6 °C | −11.8 °C (11 February 2012) | 5 out of 30 |
| Fresney-le-Vieux | 175 m | −6.5 °C | −11 °C | −13.5 °C (2 January 1997) | 8 out of 24 |
| Saint-Sylvain | 62 m | −6.7 °C | −10.1 °C | −11.6 °C (29 December 2005) | 4 out of 29 |
| Saint-Michel-de-Livet | 140 m | −7 °C | −11 °C | −13.1 °C (2 January 1997) | 8 out of 30 |
| Pierrefitte-en-Cinglais | 187 m | −7.1 °C | −10.1 °C | −11.1 °C (11 February 2012) | 5 out of 29 |
| Argences | 53 m | −7.2 °C | −12 °C | −12.5 °C (9 January 2003) | 7 out of 22 |
| Lisieux | 62 m | −7.3 °C | −11.2 °C | −14.8 °C (11 February 2012) | 8 out of 30 |
| Vire (racecourse) | 100 m | −8.5 °C | −12.1 °C | −16.6 °C (29 December 2005) | 9 out of 23 |
| L'Oudon (Lieury) | 52 m | −8.9 °C | −14 °C | −14.8 °C (6 February 2012) | 15 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. In January 1997, Caen-Carpiquet and Englesqueville-la-Percée, on the coast, fell to −12.0 °C; in December 2005, Vire recorded −16.6 °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 Calvados
- On the coast, make the most of the sea. The coast is the mildest part of the département: −7 °C one winter in ten. Choose your citrus trees according to the cold in your garden and shelter them from the sea wind, behind a hedge or a wall.
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys. The records show it: one winter in ten, Vire (racecourse) falls to −12.1 °C and L'Oudon, in the Pays d'Auge, to −14.0 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take care of drainage. In the Pays d'Auge and on the coast, the soil often stays wet in winter. In heavy soil, plant on a mound.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. In chalky soil, as often on the Caen plain, FA5 does better; in the bocage, where the soil is often acid, 4475 adapts well, in a large hole with improved soil. 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 Caen?
Not without risk. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Caen falls to around −6 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. On the coast, at −7 °C one winter in ten, a lemon tree can live outdoors with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. For a sour fruit in the ground, choose a yuzu or a hardy lemon substitute instead. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Calvados?
Citranges, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection everywhere, even in the coldest hollows. Yuzus and the hardiest satsumas also manage without it everywhere, the Pays d'Auge included; on the coast, in the bocage and in Caen, so do all satsumas and kumquats. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. On the coast, they spend the winter outdoors without protection. In the bocage, the hardiest clementines also manage without it; orange trees and the other clementines can be grown in the ground with a fleece on frosty nights, sheltered by a south-facing wall. In Caen, orange trees and clementines live outdoors with a fleece. In the Pays d'Auge, orange trees and the hardiest clementines need a fleece; keep the other clementines 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).