In the Jura, the winter cold changes a lot between the plain and the mountains. One winter in ten, it falls to about −14 °C in Lons-le-Saunier and in the vineyards, −15 °C around Dole, −19 °C in the Petite Montagne and the lake district, and −22 °C on the plateaus and in the Haut-Jura.
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
Lons-le-Saunier, Revermont and the vineyards
Lons-le-Saunier, Montmorot, Perrigny, Poligny, Arbois, Bletterans
See the citrus trees for this area
The foot of the Revermont and the vineyards, from Lons-le-Saunier to Arbois, are the least cold part of the département: −14 °C one winter in ten and −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Lons-le-Saunier stays at −13.3 °C; Colonne, on the plain, falls to −15.9 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is often chalky and clay: plant on a mound.
Colonne
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, silty soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey 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
Dole, Finage and the Doubs valley
Dole, Tavaux, Damparis, Chemin, Fraisans, Mont-sous-Vaudrey
See the citrus trees for this area
The Dole plain, the Finage and the Doubs valley: −15 °C one winter in ten and −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Dole and Chemin stay at −14.5 °C, but Fraisans, on the banks of the Doubs, falls to −18.0 °C. 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 at each frost; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil often stays wet in winter: plant on a mound, away from low points.
Fraisans
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 ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet 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.
−19 °Cone winter in ten
Petite Montagne, the lake district and Saint-Claude
Saint-Claude, Clairvaux-les-Lacs, Moirans-en-Montagne, Orgelet, Arinthod
See the citrus trees for this area
The first plateau, the Petite Montagne and the lake district, as far as Saint-Claude: −19 °C one winter in ten and −13 °C in an ordinary winter. Cogna stays at −16.8 °C; Saint-Julien, at the bottom of the Val Suran, falls to −19.3 °C, and at Pimorin, in a hollow, the cold falls to −25.0 °C one winter in ten. Even citranges freeze here: grow your citrus trees in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
Pimorin
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, soils very rich in humus and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey and silty.
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 −19 °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 −16 °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.
No plant available in this range for now.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −16 °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.
−22 °Cone winter in ten
Plateaus and Haut-Jura
Champagnole, Nozeroy, Les Rousses, Morez, Bois-d'Amont, La Pesse
See the citrus trees for this area
The Champagnole and Nozeroy plateaus and the Haut-Jura: −22 °C one winter in ten and −16 °C in an ordinary winter. The Champagnole plateau, where cold air lingers, is colder than the heights: Champagnole falls to −23.0 °C, Les Rousses, at 1,110 m, to −21.0 °C. No citrus tree spends the winter outdoors here: keep them in pots, brought in protected from frost.
Besain
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, shallow chalky soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey and silty.
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 −22 °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 −19 °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.
No plant available in this range for now.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −19 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lons-le-Saunier | 298 m | −9.2 °C | −13.3 °C | −15 °C (30 December 2005) | 16 out of 30 |
| Dole | 212 m | −9.2 °C | −14.5 °C | −17 °C (30 December 2005) | 16 out of 30 |
| Tavaux | 195 m | −9.2 °C | −15 °C | −18.2 °C (20 December 2009) | 17 out of 30 |
| Colonne | 244 m | −9.2 °C | −15.9 °C | −18 °C (30 December 2005) | 19 out of 30 |
| Chemin | 184 m | −10 °C | −14.5 °C | −18 °C (20 December 2009) | 14 out of 25 |
| Arbois | 313 m | −10.3 °C | −14.4 °C | −15.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 18 out of 30 |
| Fraisans | 254 m | −10.8 °C | −18 °C | −20.8 °C (20 December 2009) | 21 out of 30 |
| Cogna | 577 m | −12.2 °C | −16.8 °C | −18.5 °C (6 February 2012) | 24 out of 28 |
| Cernon | 500 m | −13 °C | −18.6 °C | −18.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 19 out of 25 |
| Saint-Julien (Val Suran) | 361 m | −13 °C | −19.3 °C | −20.6 °C (30 December 2005) | 24 out of 30 |
| Saint-Claude | 580 m | −13 °C | −18.5 °C | −19 °C (5 February 2012) | 22 out of 24 |
| La Pesse | 1133 m | −15.7 °C | −20.4 °C | −23.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 out of 30 |
| Les Rousses | 1110 m | −16 °C | −21 °C | −21 °C (1 March 2005) | 22 out of 22 |
| Cerniébaud | 966 m | −16.3 °C | −22 °C | −22.5 °C (20 December 2009) | 24 out of 25 |
| Pimorin | 503 m | −16.5 °C | −25 °C | −26.5 °C (20 December 2009) | 23 out of 24 |
| Besain | 535 m | −17 °C | −24 °C | −25 °C (20 December 2009) | 25 out of 25 |
| Champagnole | 537 m | −17.2 °C | −23 °C | −23.5 °C (24 December 2001) | 27 out of 28 |
“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 30 December 2005, Lons-le-Saunier fell to −15.0 °C. On 20 December 2009, Fraisans recorded −20.8 °C, Besain −25.0 °C and Pimorin, in a hollow of the Petite Montagne, −26.5 °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 Jura
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in basins. The records show it: one winter in ten, Fraisans, on the banks of the Doubs, falls to −18.0 °C while Dole stays at −14.5 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Choose the warmest corner of the garden. Around Lons-le-Saunier and Dole, a south-facing wall keeps the warmth of the day and gives shelter from the wind. That is where the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas have a chance, with a fleece at each frost; citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 do without protection there.
- In the mountains, keep your citrus trees in pots. Above the vineyards, the winter is too cold even for citranges. Bring the pots into a bright room protected from frost, and take them out in spring, once the frosts are over.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant: it is the safest choice in the Jura. In chalky, clay soil, as often at the foot of the Revermont, plant 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 Lons-le-Saunier?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Lons-le-Saunier falls to around −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. For a sour fruit in the ground, choose a hardy lemon substitute instead, such as a citrange, Yuzu or Yuzu 3, which do without protection there; the other yuzus need a fleece at each frost. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Jura?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection around Lons-le-Saunier and Dole. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas are grown there in the ground with a fleece at each frost. In the Petite Montagne, the lake district and the Haut-Jura, keep all your citrus trees 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 too little for the Jura: keep them in pots everywhere, brought in for the winter.
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).