In Loire-Atlantique, the cold increases the further you go from the ocean. One winter in ten, it falls to about −7 °C on the Guérande peninsula, −9 °C in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, −10 °C in the Nantes vineyards and −11 °C in the Châteaubriant area.
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
Guérande peninsula
La Baule-Escoublac, Guérande, Le Croisic, Le Pouliguen, Pornichet, Batz-sur-Mer
See the citrus trees for this area
Between the ocean and the salt marshes, the peninsula is the mildest part of the département: −7 °C one winter in ten, −4 °C in an ordinary winter at Guérande. Orange trees, clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; so do lemon trees, with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. Shelter them from the wind and the salt spray behind a hedge or a wall.
Guérande
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has sodisalisol and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey, salty (sea spray, marshes), winter-wet and silty.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −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
Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Brière and the Pays de Retz
Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Rezé, Saint-Herblain, Montoir-de-Bretagne, Herbignac, Machecoul, Nort-sur-Erdre
See the citrus trees for this area
The estuary does little to soften the winters: −9 °C one winter in ten, −6 °C in an ordinary winter, at Nantes-Bouguenais as at Saint-Nazaire-Montoir. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats, citranges and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and the other clementines need a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; lemon trees stay in pots. The soils, often clay and rather acid, stay wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Nantes-Bouguenais
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 river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, acid, 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 −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
Nantes vineyards
Vallet, Clisson, Le Pallet, La Haie-Fouassière, Le Loroux-Bottereau
See the citrus trees for this area
The vineyards are colder than Nantes: −10 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. La Haie-Fouassière falls to −10.8 °C one winter in ten and recorded −12.5 °C in January 1997. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees and clementines need a fleece at each frost; lemon trees stay in pots. The clay soils stay wet in winter: plant on a mound.
La Haie-Fouassière
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, acid, 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 −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
Châteaubriant area and the north of the département
Châteaubriant, Derval, Nozay, Soudan, Guémené-Penfao
See the citrus trees for this area
Far from the sea, the north of the département is the coldest: −11 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Soudan falls to −11.5 °C one winter in ten, Derval to −10 °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, sheltered by a south-facing wall; lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soils are wet in winter: take care of drainage.
Derval
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils waterlogged part of the year, ordinary brown soils and silty 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 −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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guérande | 4 m | −3.8 °C | −6.5 °C | −10.3 °C (2 January 1997) | 1 out of 23 |
| Herbignac | 22 m | −4.9 °C | −8.5 °C | −11.1 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Nort-Sur-Erdre | 13 m | −5.6 °C | −8.4 °C | −10.8 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Nantes-Bouguenais | 26 m | −5.8 °C | −8.8 °C | −11.2 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Saint-Nazaire-Montoir | 3 m | −5.9 °C | −8.9 °C | −10.9 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Saint-Même-le-Tenu | 4 m | −5.9 °C | −8.9 °C | −10.7 °C (1 March 2005) | 1 out of 23 |
| Saint-Joachim | 3 m | −6 °C | −9.1 °C | −10.8 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 21 |
| Le Pallet | 35 m | −6.2 °C | −9.4 °C | −11.7 °C (2 January 1997) | 3 out of 30 |
| Derval | 43 m | −6.9 °C | −10 °C | −12.1 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 21 |
| La Haie-Fouassière | 20 m | −7 °C | −10.8 °C | −12.5 °C (2 January 1997) | 5 out of 24 |
| Soudan | 77 m | −7 °C | −11.5 °C | −11.5 °C (2 January 1997) | 4 out of 24 |
“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 2 January 1997, Nantes-Bouguenais fell to −11.2 °C and La Haie-Fouassière to −12.5 °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 Loire-Atlantique
- Make the most of the coast. Near the sea, conditions are favourable, but they change quickly: one winter in ten, Guérande falls to −6.5 °C, Saint-Nazaire-Montoir to −8.9 °C. Choose your citrus according to the nearest station.
- Shelter them from the wind and the salt spray. On the coast, a hedge or a wall protects the leaves from salty gusts of wind.
- Avoid hollows. Cold air collects at the bottom of valleys and in marshes. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take care of drainage. Around Nantes, in the vineyards and in the north of the département, the soils are often clay and stay wet in winter. Plant on a mound. Choose the rootstock for your soil: our 5-step test helps you, 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 Nantes?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Nantes falls to −9 °C one winter in ten. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. On the Guérande peninsula, where Guérande falls to −6.5 °C one winter in ten, a lemon tree can live in the ground 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 Loire-Atlantique?
Citranges, which withstand −15 °C, and yuzus spend the winter without protection throughout the département. So do satsumas and kumquats, except in the Châteaubriant area: only the hardiest satsumas do without protection there; the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece there. 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 Guérande peninsula, orange trees and clementines spend the winter without protection. In Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, so do the hardiest clementines; orange trees and the other clementines need a fleece at each frost, sheltered by a south-facing wall. In the vineyards, orange trees and clementines are grown in the ground with a fleece. In the Châteaubriant area, orange trees and the hardiest clementines can try it too, with a fleece; keep the other clementines in pots.
My town is not listed: which area should I choose?
Take the nearest area, then compare with the nearest station in the table of readings. The further you are from the sea, the more it freezes. Take off one or two degrees if you are in a hollow or at the bottom of a valley.
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).