In Moselle, the winter is cold everywhere, and harsher towards the east and the Bitche area. One winter in ten, it falls to about −15 °C around Saint-Avold and Metz, −17 °C in the Saulnois and the Sarrebourg area and −18 °C around Sarreguemines and Bitche.
We went through thirty winters of Météo-France records, from 1996 to 2026, and compared them with the hardiness of each of our plants. The département has only nine stations followed over this period: take these figures as orders of magnitude. 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:
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Coal basin, Saint-Avold and Forbach
Saint-Avold, Forbach, Freyming-Merlebach, Creutzwald, Stiring-Wendel, Faulquemont
See the citrus trees for this area
A single station, Seingbouse (347 m), serves as a reference: −15 °C one winter in ten, but only −9 °C in an ordinary winter. 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, against a south-facing wall; keep the other citrus trees in pots. The soils, rather acid, often stay wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Seingbouse
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, silty soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, acid and clayey.
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.
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Metz, Thionville and the Moselle valley
Metz, Thionville, Montigny-lès-Metz, Woippy, Hayange, Amnéville, Hagondange
See the citrus trees for this area
The Moselle valley and the hills that border it: −15 °C one winter in ten, −11 °C in an ordinary winter. The valley floor is not milder: one winter in ten, Metz-Frescaty (192 m) falls to −15.2 °C, Malancourt-la-Montagne (346 m) to −14.4 °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.
Malancourt-la-Montagne
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, shallow chalky soils and calcium-rich but barely chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, acid, clayey, silty and chalky.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −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.
−17 °Cone winter in ten
Saulnois and the Sarrebourg area
Sarrebourg, Château-Salins, Dieuze, Morhange, Phalsbourg, Vic-sur-Seille
See the citrus trees for this area
The Lorraine plateau, with clay soils that are often wet in winter: −17 °C one winter in ten, −11 °C in an ordinary winter. Rodalbe, in the heart of the plateau, falls lower than Phalsbourg, at the foot of the Vosges: −17.9 °C against −15.5 °C one winter in ten. Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live in the ground here, with a fleece at each frost; keep the other citrus trees in pots and bring them in for the winter.
Rodalbe
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has clay soils, ordinary brown soils and foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, clayey, silty, acid and chalky.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −17 °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 −14 °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 −14 °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.
−18 °Cone winter in ten
Sarreguemines and the Bitche area
Sarreguemines, Bitche, Sarralbe, Rohrbach-lès-Bitche, Volmunster
See the citrus trees for this area
The coldest corner of the département: −18 °C one winter in ten, −12 °C in an ordinary winter. In the deep valleys of the Northern Vosges, cold air collects: Mouterhouse (265 m) falls to −21.0 °C one winter in ten, against −17.2 °C at Volmunster (358 m), and recorded −22.0 °C in December 2001. Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live in the ground here, with a fleece at each frost, away from the valley floors; keep the other citrus trees in pots and bring them in for the winter.
Mouterhouse
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, river alluvium and very acid sands. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet, clayey, silty and acid.
Rootstock to favour: 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 −18 °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 −15 °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 −15 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seingbouse | 347 m | −9 °C | −15.3 °C | −17 °C (20 December 2009) | 13 out of 23 |
| Malancourt-la-Montagne | 346 m | −10.1 °C | −14.4 °C | −16.6 °C (1 January 1997) | 21 out of 30 |
| Phalsbourg | 377 m | −10.3 °C | −15.5 °C | −16.9 °C (20 December 2009) | 19 out of 30 |
| Metz-Frescaty | 192 m | −10.6 °C | −15.2 °C | −15.9 °C (20 December 2009) | 21 out of 30 |
| Rodalbe | 258 m | −10.9 °C | −17.9 °C | −18.1 °C (26 December 2010) | 16 out of 21 |
| Metz-Nancy-Lorraine (airport) | 260 m | −11.1 °C | −15.3 °C | −16.3 °C (2 January 1997) | 22 out of 30 |
| Volmunster | 358 m | −12 °C | −17.2 °C | −18.6 °C (24 December 2001) | 19 out of 25 |
| Remelfing | 220 m | −12.2 °C | −17.9 °C | −20 °C (20 December 2009) | 19 out of 21 |
| Mouterhouse | 265 m | −13.5 °C | −21 °C | −22 °C (24 December 2001) | 26 out of 30 |
“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 20 December 2009, Metz-Frescaty fell to −15.9 °C and Remelfing, near Sarreguemines, to −20.0 °C. On 24 December 2001, Mouterhouse recorded −22.0 °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 Moselle
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in basins. The records show it: one winter in ten, Mouterhouse, at the bottom of a valley in the Northern Vosges, falls to −21.0 °C, while Volmunster, higher up, stops at −17.2 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Choose the warmest wall. Here, only the hardiest citrus trees live outdoors. A south-facing wall, which keeps the warmth of the day, protects them a little on frosty nights.
- Take care of drainage. The clay soils of the Saulnois and those of the coal basin often stay wet in winter. In heavy or chalky soil, plant on a mound.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Here, cold comes first: Poncirus is the most resistant. 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 Metz?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Metz falls to around −11 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. For a sour fruit in the ground around Metz, choose a citrange, Yuzu or Yuzu 3 instead, which manage there without protection. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in Moselle?
The hardiest ones, such as citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, withstand −15 °C: they spend the winter outdoors without protection around Metz and Saint-Avold; in the Saulnois and the Bitche area, give them a fleece at each frost. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas live outdoors with a fleece around Metz and Saint-Avold; elsewhere, keep them 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 not enough for Moselle, even around Metz: 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 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).