In Eure-et-Loir, the winter cold changes from one place to another. One winter in ten, it falls to about −12 °C in the Perche, −13 °C around Chartres, and −15 °C in the Beauce, the Dunois and the Drouais.
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:
−12 °Cone winter in ten
Perche
Nogent-le-Rotrou, La Loupe, Senonches, Authon-du-Perche, Thiron-Gardais, La Ferté-Vidame
See the citrus trees for this area
The hills and hedged farmland of the Perche, in the west, are the least cold part of the département: −12 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. The heights freeze less than the valleys: one winter in ten, Miermaigne (267 m) stays at −11.2 °C, while Nogent-le-Rotrou, in the Huisne valley, falls to −13.5 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines need a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Orange trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The silty soil often stays wet in winter: plant on a mound.
La Loupe
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, soils waterlogged part of the year and silty 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 −12 °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
-
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
-
Satsuma Owari FS
down to −12 °C · €42.00
See all 17 available plants that withstand −12 °C
Sold out for now: 11 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 Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Thornless Yuzu, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −9 °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
-
Shekwasha
down to −11 °C · €34.85
-
Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
-
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 21 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 20 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Corsican Mountain Orange, 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 Iwasaki, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −9 °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
Chartres and the surrounding area
Chartres, Lucé, Mainvilliers, Illiers-Combray, Courville-sur-Eure, Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais, Bonneval
See the citrus trees for this area
Around Chartres: −13 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Chartres stays at −12.1 °C, but the countryside falls lower: −13.7 °C at Pré-Saint-Évroult, −17.4 °C at Blandainville. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats need a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. The soil, silty or clay, often stays wet in winter: take care of drainage.
Blandainville
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils over clay, waterlogged in winter, silty soils and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, clayey 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 −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
Beauce and Dunois
Châteaudun, Voves, Orgères-en-Beauce, Janville, Auneau, Patay
See the citrus trees for this area
The Beauce plateau, open to the wind, and the Dunois around Châteaudun: −15 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Châteaudun stays at −13.4 °C; Guillonville falls to −16.8 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here, only just: keep a fleece for them on the coldest nights. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas need a fleece at each frost, sheltered by a wall or a hedge; keep the other citrus trees in pots. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound.
Châteaudun
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, calcium-rich but barely chalky soils and chalky 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 −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.
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Drouais, the Eure and Avre valleys
Dreux, Vernouillet, Anet, Nogent-le-Roi, Maintenon, Épernon, Brezolles
See the citrus trees for this area
The north of the département, around Dreux, and the Eure and Avre valleys: −15 °C one winter in ten and −9 °C in an ordinary winter. The valley bottoms are the coldest: Bû stays at −13.9 °C, but Houx, near Maintenon, falls to −15.3 °C and Rueil-la-Gadelière, on the Avre, to −17.8 °C. 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. The soil, often clay, stays wet in winter: plant on a mound, away from low points.
Rueil-la-Gadelière
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, clayey and silty.
Rootstock to favour: Poncirus.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vichères | 235 m | −6.6 °C | −11.8 °C | −12.5 °C (12 February 2012) | 4 out of 20 |
| Blandainville | 163 m | −7 °C | −17.4 °C | −18.1 °C (8 January 2010) | 7 out of 24 |
| Miermaigne | 267 m | −7.1 °C | −11.2 °C | −13.3 °C (1 January 1997) | 6 out of 24 |
| Thimert-Gâtelles | 225 m | −7.5 °C | −13 °C | −15 °C (11 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Sainville | 149 m | −7.5 °C | −14.5 °C | −15.3 °C (7 February 2012) | 12 out of 30 |
| Viabon | 138 m | −7.5 °C | −14.6 °C | −16.7 °C (7 February 2012) | 11 out of 24 |
| Pré-Saint-Évroult | 129 m | −7.5 °C | −13.7 °C | −17.3 °C (7 February 2012) | 9 out of 23 |
| Louville-la-Chenard | 145 m | −7.6 °C | −15.1 °C | −16 °C (8 January 2010) | 10 out of 24 |
| Marville-Moutiers-Brûlé | 153 m | −7.7 °C | −14.2 °C | −16.3 °C (7 February 2012) | 9 out of 29 |
| Chartres | 155 m | −7.7 °C | −12.1 °C | −14.9 °C (8 January 2010) | 11 out of 30 |
| Guillonville | 132 m | −7.9 °C | −16.8 °C | −17 °C (7 February 2012) | 11 out of 24 |
| Senonches | 239 m | −8 °C | −11 °C | −14 °C (8 January 2010) | 11 out of 27 |
| Nogent-le-Rotrou | 108 m | −8 °C | −13.5 °C | −15.3 °C (9 February 2012) | 9 out of 29 |
| Bû | 132 m | −8.2 °C | −13.9 °C | −14.9 °C (8 January 2010) | 12 out of 30 |
| La Loupe | 200 m | −8.5 °C | −14.5 °C | −15.7 °C (2 January 1997) | 13 out of 30 |
| Laons | 171 m | −8.6 °C | −15.2 °C | −17.5 °C (7 February 2012) | 10 out of 20 |
| Châteaudun | 126 m | −9 °C | −13.4 °C | −17.2 °C (6 February 2012) | 15 out of 29 |
| Houx | 107 m | −9.5 °C | −15.3 °C | −18.5 °C (7 February 2012) | 16 out of 30 |
| Rueil-la-Gadelière | 157 m | −11 °C | −17.8 °C | −20 °C (7 February 2012) | 23 out of 29 |
“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 8 January 2010, Chartres fell to −14.9 °C. In February 2012, Châteaudun recorded −17.2 °C and Rueil-la-Gadelière −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 Eure-et-Loir
- Avoid the bottom of valleys. Cold air flows down and collects in valleys and basins. The records show it: one winter in ten, Nogent-le-Rotrou, in the Huisne valley, falls to −13.5 °C while Miermaigne, on the heights of the Perche, stays at −11.2 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- In the Beauce, shelter from the wind. On the open plateau, the icy wind dries out the leaves. Plant against a wall or behind a hedge, on the south side.
- Take care of drainage. Throughout the département, the soil often stays wet in winter, and it is often clay in the Drouais. Plant on a mound and avoid places where water lies.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant: it is the safest choice in Eure-et-Loir. In chalky soil, as often in the Beauce, FA5 does better, planted on a mound. 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 Chartres?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Chartres falls to around −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. 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 Eure-et-Loir?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection throughout the département; in the Beauce, the Dunois and the Drouais, it is only just: keep a fleece for them on the coldest nights. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas also manage without it in the Perche, and elsewhere hold out with a fleece on frosty nights. Kumquats and the other satsumas need a fleece in the Perche and around Chartres; elsewhere, keep them 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. In Eure-et-Loir, the cold of one winter in ten falls to −12 °C or lower. Only the hardiest clementines hold out in the Perche, with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. Keep the others in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
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).