In the Loire, the winter cold changes a lot from one place to another. One winter in ten, it falls to about −11 °C along the Rhône, −14 °C in Saint-Étienne, in the Monts du Lyonnais and the Pilat, and on the Forez and Roannais plains, and −20 °C in the Monts du Forez and the Madeleine mountains.
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:
−11 °Cone winter in ten
Rhône valley and the Rhône side of the Pilat
Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf, Chavanay, Pélussin, Malleval, Maclas
See the citrus trees for this area
The banks of the Rhône, at the foot of the Pilat, are by far the least cold part of the département: −11 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Saint-Pierre-de-Bœuf, at 140 m, stays at −10.0 °C; Bessey, on the hillsides at 425 m, falls to −12.8 °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, against a south-facing wall; lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil is often acid.
Bessey
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils and river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often acid 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.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Saint-Étienne, Ondaine and the Gier valley
Saint-Étienne, Saint-Chamond, Rive-de-Gier, Firminy, Roche-la-Molière, Villars
See the citrus trees for this area
Saint-Étienne and its valleys, from the Ondaine to the Gier: −14 °C one winter in ten and −9 °C in an ordinary winter. The Gier valley is the least cold: Cellieu stays at −11.3 °C and Saint-Chamond at −12.0 °C; Firminy, in the Ondaine, falls to −17.3 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here in the ground without protection; in Firminy, keep a fleece for them on the coldest nights. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is sometimes acid.
Firminy
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils, silty soils and river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often acid 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 −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.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Monts du Lyonnais and the Pilat
Chazelles-sur-Lyon, Panissières, Neulise, Saint-Symphorien-de-Lay, Bourg-Argental, Saint-Genest-Malifaux
See the citrus trees for this area
The Monts du Lyonnais, in the east, and the Pilat: −14 °C one winter in ten and −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Between 500 and 800 m, most stations stay at around −14 °C, but the upper Pilat is harsher: −17.0 °C at Tarentaise, at 1,090 m. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here in the ground without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece at each frost; the other citrus trees stay in pots. Above 900 m, keep them all in pots. The soil is often acid.
Tarentaise
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils, ordinary brown soils and thin acid soils. In practice, the soil is often acid.
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 −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.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Forez and Roannais plains
Roanne, Riorges, Montbrison, Feurs, Andrézieux-Bouthéon, Boën-sur-Lignon, Charlieu, Saint-Germain-Laval
See the citrus trees for this area
The Forez and Roannais plains, along the Loire: −14 °C one winter in ten and −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Cold air lingers in these enclosed plains: Roanne-Riorges stays at −12.8 °C, but Charlieu and Saint-Denis-de-Cabanne fall to −15.5 °C and −16.0 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter here in the ground without protection, only just: keep a fleece for them for exceptional nights, especially around Charlieu. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece at each frost; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The alluvial soils, often acid, stay wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Savigneux
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, ordinary brown soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet and acid.
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 −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.
−20 °Cone winter in ten
Monts du Forez and the Madeleine mountains
Noirétable, Chalmazel-Jeansagnière, Saint-Just-en-Chevalet, Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, Usson-en-Forez
See the citrus trees for this area
The Monts du Forez and the Madeleine mountains, in the west: −20 °C one winter in ten and −14 °C in an ordinary winter. The valleys there are colder than the passes: Chalmazel, at 855 m, falls to −21.0 °C, the Loge pass, at 1,261 m, to −17.3 °C. Even citranges freeze here: keep your citrus trees in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
Saint-Just-en-Chevalet
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils, very thin soils over rock and foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often acid.
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 −20 °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 −17 °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 −17 °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-Pierre-de-Bœuf | 140 m | −7 °C | −10 °C | −12 °C (5 February 2012) | 7 out of 21 |
| Saint-Chamond | 394 m | −7.3 °C | −12 °C | −12.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 6 out of 22 |
| Cellieu | 493 m | −8.6 °C | −11.3 °C | −13.1 °C (7 February 2012) | 10 out of 25 |
| Saint-Étienne | 640 m | −8.7 °C | −15.6 °C | −16.5 °C (1 March 2005) | 10 out of 24 |
| Bessey | 425 m | −9 °C | −12.8 °C | −14.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 14 out of 24 |
| Saint-Étienne (2) | 482 m | −9.2 °C | −14 °C | −15 °C (5 February 2012) | 11 out of 21 |
| Roanne-Riorges (airfield) | 337 m | −9.2 °C | −12.8 °C | −15.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 12 out of 21 |
| Bourg-Argental | 514 m | −9.3 °C | −13.1 °C | −15.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 29 |
| Chazelles-sur-Lyon | 632 m | −9.4 °C | −13.5 °C | −16 °C (1 March 2005) | 18 out of 30 |
| Feurs | 347 m | −9.4 °C | −13.5 °C | −15.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 18 out of 28 |
| La Pacaudière | 351 m | −9.5 °C | −12.7 °C | −14 °C (5 February 2012) | 13 out of 24 |
| Andrézieux-Bouthéon | 395 m | −9.5 °C | −13.9 °C | −15.7 °C (6 February 2012) | 17 out of 30 |
| Grammond | 803 m | −9.6 °C | −13.7 °C | −16.5 °C (7 February 2012) | 17 out of 30 |
| Fourneaux | 510 m | −9.6 °C | −13.5 °C | −17 °C (5 February 2012) | 21 out of 30 |
| Machézal | 608 m | −9.8 °C | −13.8 °C | −15 °C (7 February 2012) | 14 out of 23 |
| Neulise | 557 m | −9.9 °C | −13.9 °C | −15.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 12 out of 20 |
| Nandax | 374 m | −10 °C | −14.2 °C | −15.5 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 29 |
| Bourg-Argental (2) | 562 m | −10 °C | −14.3 °C | −15 °C (1 March 2005) | 16 out of 23 |
| Saint-Germain-Laval | 435 m | −10.1 °C | −15.5 °C | −15.5 °C (1 March 2005) | 17 out of 24 |
| Firminy | 515 m | −10.2 °C | −17.3 °C | −18.5 °C (1 March 2005) | 16 out of 20 |
| Boën-sur-Lignon | 448 m | −10.3 °C | −15 °C | −15.7 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 25 |
| Savigneux | 370 m | −10.5 °C | −14.5 °C | −17 °C (5 February 2012) | 24 out of 30 |
| Riorges | 283 m | −10.6 °C | −14.7 °C | −16 °C (13 January 2003) | 18 out of 25 |
| Feurs (2) | 332 m | −10.7 °C | −14.4 °C | −15.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 20 |
| Saint-Bonnet-le-Château | 822 m | −10.7 °C | −15.7 °C | −19.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 24 out of 30 |
| Saint-Denis-de-Cabanne | 287 m | −11 °C | −16 °C | −16 °C (13 January 2003) | 18 out of 24 |
| Charlieu | 278 m | −11.1 °C | −15.5 °C | −16 °C (13 January 2003) | 19 out of 25 |
| Col de la République | 1071 m | −11.7 °C | −15.9 °C | −19 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 27 |
| Tarentaise | 1090 m | −12.5 °C | −17 °C | −19.5 °C (1 March 2005) | 29 out of 30 |
| Col de la Loge | 1261 m | −12.8 °C | −17.3 °C | −19.1 °C (4 February 2012) | 27 out of 29 |
| Saint-Just-en-Chevalet | 612 m | −14 °C | −19.6 °C | −22.4 °C (1 March 2005) | 29 out of 30 |
| Chalmazel (2) | 990 m | −14.6 °C | −20.7 °C | −22 °C (1 March 2005) | 25 out of 25 |
| Chalmazel | 855 m | −15.2 °C | −21 °C | −21.7 °C (1 March 2005) | 20 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. On 1 March 2005, Saint-Étienne fell to −16.5 °C, Firminy to −18.5 °C and Saint-Just-en-Chevalet to −22.4 °C. In February 2012, Savigneux, near Montbrison, recorded −17.0 °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 Loire
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in enclosed plains. The records show it: one winter in ten, Chalmazel, at 855 m, falls to −21.0 °C while the Loge pass, 400 m higher, stays at −17.3 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take altitude into account. Above 900 m, in the upper Pilat and the Monts du Forez, the winter is too cold even for citranges. Keep your citrus trees in pots and bring them into a bright room protected from frost.
- Take care of drainage. On the Forez and Roannais plains, the alluvial soils often stay 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 Loire. The soil is often acid in the département: 4475 adapts well to it, in a large hole with improved soil, with more water in summer. 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 Saint-Étienne?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Saint-Étienne 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, or a yuzu: along the Rhône, all yuzus spend the winter without protection; in Saint-Étienne, so do Yuzu and Yuzu 3, and the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) with a fleece. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Loire?
Citranges, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection along the Rhône, in Saint-Étienne, in the Monts du Lyonnais, the Pilat and the plains; in the Monts du Forez, keep them in pots. Along the Rhône, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas also manage without it; the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece there. In Saint-Étienne, in the Monts du Lyonnais, the Pilat and the plains, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas are grown with a fleece; keep the others 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. Along the Rhône, orange trees and the hardiest clementines are grown with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. Elsewhere, 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).