In the Manche, the sea softens the winter, and the cold changes a lot between the coast and inland. One winter in ten, it falls to about −5 °C around Cherbourg and in La Hague, −8 °C on the coasts and around Valognes, and −11 °C around Saint-Lô and in the southern bocage, a country of small fields and hedges.
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:
−5 °Cone winter in ten
Cherbourg and La Hague
Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, La Hague, Tourlaville, Équeurdreville-Hainneville, Gonneville
See the citrus trees for this area
The tip of the Cotentin, surrounded by the sea, is the mildest part of the département: −5 °C one winter in ten and −2 °C in an ordinary winter. The Pointe de la Hague stays at −4.5 °C. Orange trees, clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; lemon trees too, only just: keep a fleece for them on very cold nights. Choose according to the lowest cold in your garden. Shelter them from the wind and the salt spray, behind a hedge or a wall. The soil is often acid.
Cherbourg-Maupertus
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, silty soils and thin acid soils. In practice, the soil is often acid, 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 −5 °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 72 available plants that withstand −5 °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 −2 °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 −2 °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.
−8 °Cone winter in ten
West coast and Mont-Saint-Michel bay
Coutances, Gouville-sur-Mer, Agon-Coutainville, Lessay, Granville, Avranches, Pontorson
See the citrus trees for this area
The west coast, from Lessay to the Mont-Saint-Michel bay, and the Coutances area: −8 °C one winter in ten and −5 °C in an ordinary winter. Cerisy-la-Salle stays at −7.3 °C; Gouville-sur-Mer, by the sea, falls to −8.5 °C. Orange trees, the hardiest clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; lemon trees and the other clementines need a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall, sheltered from the salt spray. The soil is often acid, sometimes chalky.
Coutances
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, chalky soils and thin acid soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky and acid.
Rootstocks to favour: C35, 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 −8 °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 57 available plants that withstand −8 °C
Sold out for now: 43 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, 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 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, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Yuzu, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −5 °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.
-
Carvalhal Early Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Star Ruby Grapefruit
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Bergamot Fantastico
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Early Clementine
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Moon Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €41.00
-
Encore Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Purple Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €45.00
See all 15 available plants that withstand −5 °C
Sold out for now: 3 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, US SuperNa.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −5 °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.
−8 °Cone winter in ten
Valognes and the Cotentin marshes
Valognes, Montebourg, Sainte-Mère-Église, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Carentan, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue
See the citrus trees for this area
Valognes, the Cotentin marshes and the east coast: −8 °C one winter in ten and −5 °C in an ordinary winter. Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, near the sea, stays at −7.5 °C; Valognes falls to −8.6 °C. Orange trees, the hardiest clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; lemon trees and the other clementines need a fleece at each frost. The soil, sometimes chalky, often stays wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Valognes
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils waterlogged part of the year, chalky soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, acid, chalky and clayey.
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 −8 °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 57 available plants that withstand −8 °C
Sold out for now: 43 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, 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 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, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Yuzu, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −5 °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.
-
Carvalhal Early Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Star Ruby Grapefruit
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Bergamot Fantastico
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Early Clementine
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Moon Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €41.00
-
Encore Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Purple Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €45.00
See all 15 available plants that withstand −5 °C
Sold out for now: 3 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, US SuperNa.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −5 °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
Saint-Lô and the southern bocage
Saint-Lô, Condé-sur-Vire, Torigni-sur-Vire, Percy, Villedieu-les-Poêles, Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët, Mortain
See the citrus trees for this area
Saint-Lô and the southern bocage, far from the sea, are the coldest part of the département: −11 °C one winter in ten and −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Coulouvray-Boisbenâtre, at 268 m, stays at −9.5 °C; Condé-sur-Vire, at the bottom of the Vire valley, falls to −11.8 °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.
Coulouvray-Boisbenâtre
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often acid.
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 −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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pointe de la Hague | 6 m | −1.2 °C | −4.5 °C | −4.8 °C (28 February 2018) | 0 out of 30 |
| Cherbourg-Maupertus | 134 m | −2.9 °C | −5 °C | −6.9 °C (2 January 1997) | 0 out of 30 |
| Cerisy-la-Salle | 134 m | −4.2 °C | −7.3 °C | −7.9 °C (28 February 2018) | 0 out of 23 |
| Gouville-sur-Mer | 7 m | −4.5 °C | −8.5 °C | −8.7 °C (11 February 2012) | 0 out of 23 |
| Sainte-Marie-du-Mont | 5 m | −4.6 °C | −7.5 °C | −8.3 °C (10 January 2009) | 0 out of 29 |
| Coutances | 80 m | −4.6 °C | −7.5 °C | −10.9 °C (2 January 1997) | 1 out of 30 |
| Pontorson | 33 m | −5.5 °C | −7.7 °C | −8 °C (11 February 2012) | 0 out of 29 |
| Valognes | 61 m | −5.7 °C | −8.6 °C | −9 °C (2 January 1997) | 1 out of 23 |
| Coulouvray-Boisbenâtre | 268 m | −5.7 °C | −9.5 °C | −13.5 °C (2 January 1997) | 6 out of 30 |
| Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët | 95 m | −6.6 °C | −11.4 °C | −12 °C (2 January 1997) | 5 out of 30 |
| Condé-sur-Vire | 28 m | −7.5 °C | −11.8 °C | −12.6 °C (2 January 1997) | 9 out of 25 |
“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, Coulouvray-Boisbenâtre fell to −13.5 °C, Condé-sur-Vire to −12.6 °C and Coutances to −10.9 °C, while Cherbourg-Maupertus stayed at −6.9 °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 Manche
- Make the most of the sea. Near the coast, conditions are favourable: around Cherbourg and in La Hague, orange trees, clementines and even lemon trees spend the winter outdoors; keep a fleece for the lemon trees on very cold nights. Choose your citrus according to the lowest cold in your garden.
- Shelter from the wind and the salt spray. On the coast, plant behind a hedge or against a south-facing wall, sheltered from the sea wind.
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys. The records show it: one winter in ten, Condé-sur-Vire, at the bottom of the Vire valley, falls to −11.8 °C, while Coulouvray-Boisbenâtre, at 268 m, stays at −9.5 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. The soil is often acid in the département: 4475 adapts to it, in a large hole with improved soil, with more water in summer. In heavy or wet soil, 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 Cherbourg?
Yes. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Cherbourg falls to that one winter in ten: they spend the winter without protection, only just. Plant them sheltered from the wind and the salt spray, against a south-facing wall, and keep a fleece for very cold nights. On the west coast and around Valognes, they live in the ground with a fleece at each frost. Around Saint-Lô and in the southern bocage, keep them in pots. See our lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Manche?
Citranges and yuzus spend the winter outdoors without protection throughout the département. So do satsumas and kumquats, except around Saint-Lô and in the southern bocage: there, only the hardiest satsumas manage without protection; the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece at each frost. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. Around Cherbourg and in La Hague, they spend the winter outdoors. On the west coast and around Valognes, so do orange trees and the hardiest clementines; the other clementines need a fleece on frosty nights, sheltered by a south-facing wall. Around Saint-Lô and in the southern bocage, orange trees and the hardiest clementines live outdoors 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 colder it gets: take off one or two degrees if you are inland or 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).