In the Rhône, the winter cold depends mainly on altitude and on valley bottoms. One winter in ten, it falls to about −11 °C in Lyon, −12 °C in the Saône valley and the wine-growing Beaujolais, −13 °C in the Monts du Lyonnais and −15 °C in the Haut-Beaujolais.
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:
−11 °Cone winter in ten
Lyon and its surroundings
Lyon, Villeurbanne, Vénissieux, Bron, Saint-Priest, Saint-Genis-Laval, Tassin-la-Demi-Lune
See the citrus trees for this area
The mildest part of the département: −11 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter. The city and its hillsides have less frost than the plain to the east: one winter in ten, Saint-Genis-Laval falls to −10.5 °C, Lyon-Saint-Exupéry to −12.1 °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 on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots.
Brindas
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has fersialsol and acid soils. In practice, the soil is often silty, acid 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
-
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.
−12 °Cone winter in ten
Saône valley and wine-growing Beaujolais
Villefranche-sur-Saône, Gleizé, Anse, Belleville-en-Beaujolais, Saint-Georges-de-Reneins, Villié-Morgon
See the citrus trees for this area
Along the Saône, cold air lingers: one winter in ten, Saint-Georges-de-Reneins, on the riverbank, falls to −14 °C, while Blacé, on the hillside, stops at −10.6 °C. Count on −12 °C over the whole area and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines with a fleece. Orange trees, the other clementines and lemon trees stay in pots. In the valley, the silty soils stay wet in winter: plant on a mound, preferably on the hillside.
Saint-Georges-de-Reneins
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, ordinary brown soils and acid soils. In practice, the soil is often 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 −12 °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
-
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
-
Satsuma Owari FS
down to −12 °C · €42.00
See all 17 available plants that withstand −12 °C
Sold out for now: 11 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 Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Thornless Yuzu, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −9 °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
-
Shekwasha
down to −11 °C · €34.85
-
Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
-
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 21 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 20 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Corsican Mountain Orange, 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 Iwasaki, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −9 °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
Monts du Lyonnais and the L'Arbresle area
L'Arbresle, Bully, Mornant, Soucieu-en-Jarrest, Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, Saint-Martin-en-Haut
See the citrus trees for this area
Higher, colder hills: −13 °C one winter in ten, −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Altitude matters: Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise (610 m) falls to −15 °C one winter in ten and recorded −18.5 °C in February 2012. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; satsumas, the other yuzus and kumquats need a fleece at each frost; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soils are often acid and clay: take care of drainage.
Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils, ordinary brown soils and foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often 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 −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.
−15 °Cone winter in ten
Haut-Beaujolais and Monts de Tarare
Beaujeu, Tarare, Amplepuis, Lamure-sur-Azergues, Les Sauvages
See the citrus trees for this area
The Beaujolais and Tarare hills are the coldest area: −15 °C one winter in ten, −10 °C in an ordinary winter, and −17 °C recorded at Les Sauvages in February 2012. Even at the bottom of the valley, Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu falls to −13.9 °C one winter in ten. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here without protection, but only just: keep a fleece ready for exceptional nights. The other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas live here with a fleece at each frost, sheltered by a south-facing wall; keep the other citrus trees in pots.
Les Sauvages
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils and foot-of-slope soils. In practice, the soil is often acid and silty.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villefranche-sur-Saône | 174 m | −7 °C | −11.5 °C | −12.4 °C (28 February 2018) | 11 out of 29 |
| Lyon-Bron | 202 m | −7.5 °C | −11.8 °C | −12.7 °C (5 February 2012) | 7 out of 30 |
| Lyon-Saint-Exupéry | 235 m | −7.5 °C | −12.1 °C | −12.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Saint-Genis-Laval | 290 m | −7.7 °C | −10.5 °C | −14 °C (5 February 2012) | 9 out of 30 |
| Brindas | 317 m | −7.7 °C | −10.8 °C | −14.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 7 out of 20 |
| Saint-Vérand | 390 m | −8 °C | −13 °C | −15 °C (5 February 2012) | 7 out of 20 |
| Saint-Georges-de-Reneins | 190 m | −8 °C | −14 °C | −14.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 9 out of 24 |
| Blacé | 340 m | −8.3 °C | −10.6 °C | −11.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 8 out of 20 |
| Chiroubles | 415 m | −8.3 °C | −11 °C | −12.1 °C (7 February 2012) | 8 out of 20 |
| Pommiers | 315 m | −8.3 °C | −11.5 °C | −12.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 12 out of 24 |
| Liergues | 290 m | −8.3 °C | −12.2 °C | −13.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 14 out of 30 |
| Saint-Germain-sur-l'Arbresle | 370 m | −8.9 °C | −12.5 °C | −14.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 12 out of 24 |
| Mornant | 343 m | −9 °C | −12.5 °C | −16 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 30 |
| Saint-Jean-d'Ardières | 240 m | −9.3 °C | −12.3 °C | −13.4 °C (30 December 2005) | 12 out of 20 |
| Saint-Didier-sous-Riverie | 600 m | −9.4 °C | −12 °C | −14.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 14 out of 24 |
| Vauxrenard | 740 m | −9.6 °C | −14.6 °C | −15.4 °C (7 February 2012) | 13 out of 23 |
| Saint-Cyr-le-Chatoux | 695 m | −10.2 °C | −14.6 °C | −15.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 24 |
| Soucieu-en-Jarrest | 367 m | −10.2 °C | −13.6 °C | −15.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 14 out of 21 |
| Saint-Didier-sur-Beaujeu | 345 m | −10.3 °C | −13.9 °C | −16.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 18 out of 30 |
| Monsols | 525 m | −10.5 °C | −14.5 °C | −16.5 °C (6 February 2012) | 21 out of 30 |
| Les Sauvages | 831 m | −10.5 °C | −14.5 °C | −17 °C (7 February 2012) | 22 out of 29 |
| Le Breuil | 275 m | −10.8 °C | −14.2 °C | −15.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 25 |
| Bully | 280 m | −11 °C | −14 °C | −14 °C (13 January 2003) | 17 out of 21 |
| Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise | 610 m | −11.2 °C | −15 °C | −18.5 °C (5 February 2012) | 23 out of 29 |
“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 5 February 2012, Lyon-Bron fell to −12.7 °C and Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise to −18.5 °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 the Rhône
- Avoid hollows. Cold air flows down and collects at the bottom of valleys. The records show it: one winter in ten, Saint-Georges-de-Reneins, on the banks of the Saône, falls to −14 °C, while Blacé, on the nearby hillside, stops at −10.6 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take altitude into account. In the Monts du Lyonnais and the Beaujolais hills, the cold increases with height: one winter in ten, Lyon-Bron (202 m) falls to −11.8 °C, Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise (610 m) to −15 °C.
- Take care of drainage. The soils of the Saône valley stay wet in winter, and those of the Monts du Lyonnais are often clay. In heavy or chalky soil, plant on a mound.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. In acid soil, 4475 adapts well, in a large hole with improved soil and watered in summer. 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 Lyon?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Lyon falls to around −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. 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 Rhône?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter outdoors without protection throughout the département; in the Haut-Beaujolais and the Monts de Tarare, keep a fleece ready for exceptional nights. The other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) withstand −12 °C: without protection in Lyon and the Saône valley, with a fleece in the Monts du Lyonnais and the Haut-Beaujolais. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. In Lyon, at −11 °C one winter in ten, orange trees and the hardiest clementines live outdoors with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; in the Saône valley, only the hardiest clementines. Elsewhere, 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).