In the Indre, the winter cold varies less than elsewhere, but it counts. One winter in ten, it falls to about −12 °C in the Brenne and around Châteauroux, and to −13 °C in the Boischaut, in the north as in the south of the département.
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
Brenne and the Creuse valley
Le Blanc, Argenton-sur-Creuse, Mézières-en-Brenne, Saint-Gaultier, Tournon-Saint-Martin, Martizay
See the citrus trees for this area
The Brenne and the Creuse valley, in the west, are a little less cold than the rest of the département: −12 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Le Blanc stays at −10.5 °C; Rosnay and Martizay fall to −12.0 °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; lemon trees, orange trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound.
Rosnay
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, ordinary brown soils and calcium-rich but barely chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet, clayey 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 −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.
−12 °Cone winter in ten
Châteauroux and the Champagne berrichonne
Châteauroux, Déols, Le Poinçonnet, Issoudun, Levroux, Ardentes
See the citrus trees for this area
The open plain around Châteauroux and Issoudun: −12 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Châteauroux stays at −12.0 °C; Saint-Valentin falls to −14.0 °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. Lemon trees, orange trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound.
Saint-Valentin
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, ordinary brown soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often chalky.
Rootstocks to favour: FA5, 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 −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
Northern Boischaut and the Cher valley
Valençay, Chabris, Vatan, Écueillé, Pellevoisin, Châtillon-sur-Indre
See the citrus trees for this area
The north of the département, from the northern Boischaut to the Cher valley: −13 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Pellevoisin stays at −11.4 °C; Lye and Guilly fall to around −13 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats need a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil often stays wet in winter: take care of drainage.
Poulaines
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, silty 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 −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
Southern Boischaut and the Vallée Noire
La Châtre, Aigurande, Éguzon-Chantôme, Saint-Benoît-du-Sault, Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre, Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre
See the citrus trees for this area
The south, hillier and higher, from the southern Boischaut to the Vallée Noire around La Châtre: −13 °C one winter in ten and −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Éguzon stays at −12.2 °C; Orsennes, at 315 m, falls to −14.3 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats need a fleece at each frost; the other citrus trees stay in pots. Plant halfway up a slope rather than at the bottom of the small valleys.
Chaillac
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 chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murs | 148 m | −6.5 °C | −12.5 °C | −12.8 °C (9 February 2012) | 5 out of 25 |
| Le Blanc | 117 m | −6.6 °C | −10.5 °C | −18 °C (6 February 2012) | 8 out of 29 |
| Pellevoisin | 161 m | −7 °C | −11.4 °C | −12.7 °C (7 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Châteauroux | 161 m | −7 °C | −12 °C | −16.5 °C (9 February 2012) | 9 out of 26 |
| Châteauroux-Déols | 158 m | −7.2 °C | −11.8 °C | −16.5 °C (6 February 2012) | 11 out of 30 |
| Tendu | 155 m | −7.4 °C | −11.1 °C | −17.9 °C (9 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Issoudun | 138 m | −7.4 °C | −11.8 °C | −13.5 °C (9 February 2012) | 8 out of 22 |
| Lye | 130 m | −7.6 °C | −13 °C | −13.8 °C (7 January 2009) | 7 out of 25 |
| Rosnay | 109 m | −7.6 °C | −12 °C | −18.3 °C (6 February 2012) | 8 out of 30 |
| Éguzon-Chantôme | 272 m | −7.6 °C | −12.2 °C | −17.1 °C (6 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Saint-Christophe-en-Boucherie | 265 m | −7.7 °C | −13 °C | −16 °C (26 January 2007) | 8 out of 22 |
| Levroux | 169 m | −7.7 °C | −12.7 °C | −17.6 °C (7 February 2012) | 11 out of 30 |
| Guilly | 135 m | −7.8 °C | −13.2 °C | −15.4 °C (6 February 2012) | 8 out of 22 |
| Poulaines | 109 m | −7.9 °C | −12.7 °C | −16.5 °C (6 February 2012) | 11 out of 26 |
| Martizay | 80 m | −8 °C | −12 °C | −17.5 °C (7 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Jeu-les-Bois | 185 m | −8.2 °C | −12.3 °C | −17.9 °C (7 February 2012) | 10 out of 25 |
| Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre | 302 m | −8.6 °C | −13 °C | −15 °C (7 February 2012) | 13 out of 30 |
| Chaillac | 180 m | −9 °C | −13 °C | −19 °C (7 February 2012) | 14 out of 26 |
| Montgivray | 204 m | −9 °C | −13 °C | −16.9 °C (7 February 2012) | 16 out of 30 |
| Orsennes | 315 m | −9.5 °C | −14.3 °C | −17.5 °C (6 February 2012) | 12 out of 22 |
| Saint-Valentin | 177 m | −10.1 °C | −14 °C | −18.4 °C (6 February 2012) | 14 out of 20 |
“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 February 2012, Châteauroux fell to −16.5 °C, Le Blanc to −18.0 °C and Chaillac to −19.0 °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 Indre
- Avoid low points. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in basins. The cold varies a lot over short distances: one winter in ten, Issoudun stays at −11.8 °C, but Saint-Valentin, about twelve kilometres away, falls 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 northern Boischaut, the soil often stays wet in winter. Plant on a mound and avoid places where water stands.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant: it is the safest choice in the Indre. In chalky soil, as often around Châteauroux and in the Brenne, 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 Châteauroux?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Châteauroux falls to around −7 °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 the Indre?
Citranges, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection throughout the département. In the Brenne and around Châteauroux, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas also manage without it; the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece there. In the Boischaut, in the north as in the south, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter without protection; the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki), satsumas and kumquats need a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. In the Brenne and around Châteauroux, only the hardiest clementines can try the open ground, with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Elsewhere, and for orange trees, keep them 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).