In the Puy-de-Dôme, winters are harsh for citrus trees, and the cold changes a lot from one place to another. One winter in ten, it falls to about −14 °C in the Limagne, around Clermont-Ferrand, −17 °C in the Livradois-Forez and in the mountains, and −18 °C around Issoire and in the Combrailles.
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:
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Clermont-Ferrand and the Limagne
Clermont-Ferrand, Riom, Cournon-d'Auvergne, Aubière, Pont-du-Château, Billom, Vic-le-Comte, Veyre-Monton
See the citrus trees for this area
The Limagne plain, around Clermont-Ferrand, is the mildest part of the département: −14 °C one winter in ten and −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here without protection; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall. Keep the other citrus trees in pots. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound.
Clermont-Ferrand-Aulnat
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, ordinary brown soils and foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky.
Rootstocks to favour: FA5, 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 −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.
−17 °Cone winter in ten
Thiers, Ambert and the Livradois-Forez
Thiers, Courpière, Ambert, Arlanc, Cunlhat, Saint-Anthème, Saint-Germain-l'Herm
See the citrus trees for this area
The Dore valley and the Livradois and Forez mountains, from 450 to 1,260 m: −17 °C one winter in ten and −12 °C in an ordinary winter. The Ambert basin is a hollow: it falls to −19.8 °C, while Courpière stays at −15.4 °C and Cunlhat, at 700 m, at −15.0 °C. Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live in the ground here, with a fleece at each frost, outside the hollow; keep the other citrus trees in pots and bring them in for the winter.
Ambert
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, river alluvium and silty soils.
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 −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.
−17 °Cone winter in ten
Chaîne des Puys, Sancy and Artense
Orcines, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, Rochefort-Montagne, Le Mont-Dore, La Bourboule, Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, Tauves, Bourg-Lastic
See the citrus trees for this area
The mountains, from the puys (volcanic hills) to the Sancy massif and the Artense, from 780 to 1,390 m: −17 °C one winter in ten and −13 °C in an ordinary winter. Hollows count as much as altitude: Gelles (784 m) falls to −16.7 °C, lower than Le Mont-Dore (1,050 m), at −15.1 °C. 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.
Saint-Genès-Champanelle
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has volcanic soils, ordinary brown soils and thin acid soils.
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 −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
Issoire and the Allier valley
Issoire, Sauxillanges, Parentignat, Saint-Germain-Lembron, Brassac-les-Mines
See the citrus trees for this area
The Allier valley around Issoire, lower than Clermont, is nevertheless colder: −18 °C one winter in ten and −11 °C in an ordinary winter. The valley floor holds the cold air: Issoire falls to −17.1 °C, Sauxillanges to −18.1 °C. 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. The soil is sometimes chalky: plant on a mound.
Sauxillanges
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 foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often 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 −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.
−18 °Cone winter in ten
Combrailles
Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne, Pionsat, Menat, Saint-Éloy-les-Mines, Manzat, Pontaumur
See the citrus trees for this area
The Combrailles plateau, in the north-west, cut by the Sioule gorges: −18 °C one winter in ten and −13 °C in an ordinary winter. The low ground is the coldest: Menat (410 m), on the banks of the Sioule, falls to −18.5 °C, while Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne, at 705 m, stays at −13.4 °C. Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live in the ground here, with a fleece at each frost, away from the low ground; keep the other citrus trees in pots and bring them in for the winter. The soil is sometimes acid.
Pionsat
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, acid soils and waterlogged soils. In practice, the soil is often acid.
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 −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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courpière | 455 m | −8.8 °C | −15.4 °C | −15.6 °C (1 March 2005) | 11 out of 23 |
| Plauzat | 495 m | −9.1 °C | −13.8 °C | −15.8 °C (9 February 2012) | 16 out of 30 |
| Fayet-le-Château | 585 m | −9.5 °C | −14.2 °C | −15.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 18 out of 30 |
| Clermont-Ferrand-Aulnat | 331 m | −10.2 °C | −14.1 °C | −17.1 °C (6 February 2012) | 22 out of 30 |
| Saint-Gervais-d'Auvergne | 705 m | −10.2 °C | −13.4 °C | −16.7 °C (1 March 2005) | 21 out of 30 |
| Sayat | 547 m | −10.3 °C | −14.6 °C | −15.9 °C (1 March 2005) | 21 out of 30 |
| Issoire | 372 m | −10.4 °C | −17.1 °C | −17.6 °C (30 January 2005) | 21 out of 29 |
| Tauves | 851 m | −11.2 °C | −16.5 °C | −16.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
| Laqueuille | 1095 m | −11.3 °C | −15.2 °C | −17.8 °C (4 February 2012) | 24 out of 30 |
| Saint-Sulpice | 851 m | −11.7 °C | −17 °C | −17.7 °C (1 March 2005) | 20 out of 25 |
| Cunlhat | 700 m | −11.9 °C | −15 °C | −18.5 °C (1 March 2005) | 24 out of 30 |
| Vernines | 1045 m | −12.1 °C | −15.4 °C | −17.5 °C (4 February 2012) | 17 out of 21 |
| Ambert | 555 m | −12.2 °C | −19.8 °C | −22.1 °C (1 March 2005) | 27 out of 30 |
| Superbesse | 1287 m | −12.5 °C | −17 °C | −17.1 °C (27 February 2018) | 22 out of 25 |
| Sauxillanges | 460 m | −12.5 °C | −18.1 °C | −19.7 °C (1 March 2005) | 21 out of 22 |
| Chastreix | 1385 m | −12.6 °C | −16.8 °C | −19.1 °C (8 February 2012) | 28 out of 30 |
| Saint-Anthème | 1263 m | −12.7 °C | −17.9 °C | −18.5 °C (4 February 2012) | 29 out of 30 |
| Gelles | 784 m | −12.8 °C | −16.7 °C | −20.2 °C (7 February 2012) | 28 out of 30 |
| Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise | 1050 m | −12.9 °C | −17.2 °C | −17.6 °C (1 March 2005) | 18 out of 20 |
| Le Mont-Dore (village) | 1050 m | −13 °C | −15.1 °C | −17.2 °C (1 March 2005) | 25 out of 26 |
| Orcines (Fontaine-du-Berger) | 971 m | −13 °C | −16.9 °C | −20.6 °C (1 March 2005) | 28 out of 30 |
| Saint-Genès-Champanelle | 893 m | −13.1 °C | −16.1 °C | −21.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 out of 29 |
| Saint-Germain-l'Herm | 1070 m | −13.2 °C | −17.4 °C | −19.9 °C (1 March 2005) | 28 out of 29 |
| Le Mont-Dore (1,220 m) | 1220 m | −13.3 °C | −16.5 °C | −17.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 27 out of 30 |
| Pionsat | 524 m | −13.4 °C | −18.3 °C | −21.9 °C (1 March 2005) | 27 out of 29 |
| Menat | 410 m | −13.5 °C | −18.5 °C | −20.1 °C (7 February 2012) | 27 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 1 March 2005, Ambert fell to −22.1 °C and Pionsat to −21.9 °C; on 6 February 2012, Clermont-Ferrand-Aulnat recorded −17.1 °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 Puy-de-Dôme
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys and in basins. The records show it: one winter in ten, Ambert, at 555 m, falls to −19.8 °C, while Cunlhat, at 700 m, stays at −15.0 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Reckon with the mountains. Outside the Limagne, only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live in the ground, with a fleece at each frost; keep the other citrus trees in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost.
- Take care of drainage. The soil of the Limagne is often chalky, that of the Allier valley sometimes. In chalky or heavy soil, plant on a mound.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. In chalky, dry soil, FA5 does better. 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 Clermont-Ferrand?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Clermont-Ferrand falls to around −10 °C even in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost. For a sour fruit, see our lemons and lemon substitutes: in the Limagne, citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors without protection, the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) with a fleece at each frost.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Puy-de-Dôme?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C: they spend the winter outdoors without protection in the Limagne; elsewhere, give them a fleece at each frost. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live outdoors with a fleece in the Limagne; 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 the Puy-de-Dôme, even in the Limagne. 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).