In the Nord, the winter cold increases the further you go from the sea. One winter in ten, it falls to about −8 °C in Dunkerque, −11 °C in Lille and inland Flanders, −13 °C in the Douaisis and the Valenciennois and −16 °C in the Avesnois.
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:
−8 °Cone winter in ten
Dunkerque and the coast
Dunkerque, Grande-Synthe, Coudekerque-Branche, Gravelines, Bray-Dunes
See the citrus trees for this area
The North Sea softens the winters: −8 °C one winter in ten, −4 °C in an ordinary winter in Dunkerque. Orange trees, the hardiest clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors here; lemon trees and the other clementines need a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. The sea wind and the salt spray damage the leaves: plant in the shelter of a hedge or a wall.
Dunkerque
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
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Star Ruby Grapefruit
down to −7 °C · €29.75
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Bergamot Fantastico
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Early Clementine
down to −7 °C · €29.75
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Moon Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €41.00
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Encore Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €35.00
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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
Lille, Roubaix and inland Flanders
Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Hazebrouck, Bailleul, Cassel
See the citrus trees for this area
As soon as you leave the coast, frost is stronger: −11 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. The city protects a little: one winter in ten, Roubaix falls to −10 °C, Lille-Lesquin to −11.8 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; orange trees, the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines need a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots.
Watten
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 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
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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.
−13 °Cone winter in ten
Douaisis, Pévèle and Valenciennois
Douai, Valenciennes, Denain, Orchies, Somain, Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, Condé-sur-l'Escaut
See the citrus trees for this area
Further from the sea, the winters are colder: −13 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter, and −14.9 °C recorded at Valenciennes in January 2009. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats need a fleece at each frost. Orange trees, clementines and lemon trees stay in pots. The soils are mainly silty, sometimes chalky.
Valenciennes
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, chalky soils and river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often chalky, silty 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 −13 °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 −10 °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
-
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
-
Ichang Lemon Shangyuan
down to −12 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
-
US 119
down to −12 °C · €35.00
See all 27 available plants that withstand −10 °C
Sold out for now: 25 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, 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.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −10 °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.
−16 °Cone winter in ten
Avesnois
Maubeuge, Avesnes-sur-Helpe, Fourmies, Landrecies, Trélon
See the citrus trees for this area
The coldest corner of the département: −16 °C one winter in ten at Saint-Hilaire-sur-Helpe, and −18.5 °C recorded in January 2009. Even citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, the hardiest, need a fleece here on very cold nights; the other citrus trees stay in pots, brought in for the winter. If you plant, choose a well-exposed hillside, never a valley floor.
Saint-Hilaire-sur-Helpe
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, ordinary brown soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often silty and winter-wet.
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 −16 °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 −13 °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 −13 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkerque | 11 m | −4 °C | −8.2 °C | −11.5 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Steenvoorde | 42 m | −5.6 °C | −10.9 °C | −13.4 °C (4 February 2012) | 3 out of 22 |
| Roubaix | 30 m | −7 °C | −10 °C | −12.5 °C (2 January 1997) | 3 out of 21 |
| Lille-Lesquin | 47 m | −7.4 °C | −11.8 °C | −13.4 °C (17 January 2013) | 7 out of 30 |
| Watten | 7 m | −7.4 °C | −10.4 °C | −14.6 °C (11 February 2012) | 7 out of 30 |
| Douai | 26 m | −7.5 °C | −12 °C | −13 °C (1 January 1997) | 10 out of 30 |
| Cappelle-en-Pévèle | 51 m | −7.6 °C | −12.8 °C | −13 °C (18 December 2010) | 9 out of 24 |
| Saint-Hilaire-sur-Helpe | 185 m | −7.9 °C | −16.1 °C | −18.5 °C (7 January 2009) | 10 out of 22 |
| Valenciennes | 50 m | −8.3 °C | −13.3 °C | −14.9 °C (7 January 2009) | 13 out of 30 |
| Pecquencourt | 19 m | −8.4 °C | −12.5 °C | −14.2 °C (29 December 1996) | 10 out of 23 |
“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 7 January 2009, Valenciennes fell to −14.9 °C and Saint-Hilaire-sur-Helpe to −18.5 °C. Even Dunkerque recorded −11.5 °C on 2 January 1997. 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 Nord
- Make the most of the coast. Near the sea, conditions are favourable: one winter in ten, Dunkerque stops at −8.2 °C, while Watten, about 25 km inland, falls to −10.4 °C. Choose your citrus according to the nearest station.
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in basins. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take care of drainage. Many soils in the Nord 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 Lille?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Lille falls to around −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. On the coast, in Dunkerque, a lemon tree can be grown 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 the Nord?
The hardiest hybrids, such as citranges, withstand −15 °C, just like Yuzu and Yuzu 3: they spend the winter outdoors without protection almost everywhere, with a fleece in the Avesnois. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) withstand −12 °C: without protection on the coast, in Lille and in Flanders, with a fleece in the Douaisis and the Valenciennois, in pots in the Avesnois. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. In Dunkerque and on the coast, orange trees and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors without protection; the other clementines need a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. In Lille and inland Flanders, orange trees and the hardiest clementines can be grown in the ground with a fleece. Elsewhere, keep them 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 go from the sea, the harder 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).