In the Sarthe, winter is a real one for citrus trees, and it gets harsher from south-west to north-east. One winter in ten, it falls to about −11 °C between Sablé and the Loir valley, −12 °C around Le Mans and −13 °C in the Saosnois and the Sarthe Perche.
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
Sablé, the Loir valley and the Saint-Calais area
Sablé-sur-Sarthe, La Flèche, Le Lude, Malicorne-sur-Sarthe, Luché-Pringé, Château-du-Loir, Saint-Calais
See the citrus trees for this area
The south of the département, along the Loir and the Sarthe downstream from Le Mans, is the least cold: −11 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. Towards Saint-Calais, Sainte-Cérotte falls a little lower, to −12.4 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil, often clay and sometimes chalky, stays wet in winter: plant on a mound.
Sainte-Cérotte
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, clayey, silty and chalky.
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 −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
Le Mans, Sillé and the Alpes Mancelles
Le Mans, Allonnes, Coulaines, Savigné-l'Évêque, Sillé-le-Guillaume, Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, Beaumont-sur-Sarthe
See the citrus trees for this area
Around Le Mans: −12 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. The differences are large: Rouessé-Vassé, on the heights near Sillé-le-Guillaume, only falls to −8.4 °C, while Saint-Corneille, north-east of Le Mans, records −14.0 °C. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors here; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines with a fleece on frosty nights. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The clay soil holds water in winter: plant on a mound.
Saint-Corneille
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, soils waterlogged part of the year and soils over clay, waterlogged in winter. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, clayey, silty and acid.
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 −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
Saosnois and the Sarthe Perche
Mamers, La Ferté-Bernard, Bonnétable, Marolles-les-Braults, Le Luart, Cormes
See the citrus trees for this area
The north-east, from the Saosnois to the Perche, is the coldest part: −13 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter, and −17.5 °C recorded at La Fresnaye-sur-Chédouet, near Mamers, in February 2012. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats with a fleece on frosty nights. The other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil, often chalky and wet in winter, calls for a mound.
La Fresnaye-sur-Chédouet
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has chalky soils, silty soils and soils waterlogged part of the year. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, silty, clayey and chalky.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rouessé-Vassé | 206 m | −5.2 °C | −8.4 °C | −9.8 °C (8 February 2012) | 1 out of 23 |
| Luche-Pringe | 92 m | −5.3 °C | −11 °C | −11.2 °C (12 February 2012) | 2 out of 23 |
| Sainte-Cérotte | 157 m | −6.8 °C | −12.4 °C | −15.3 °C (12 February 2012) | 5 out of 20 |
| Sablé-sur-Sarthe | 41 m | −7 °C | −11 °C | −14 °C (12 February 2012) | 5 out of 30 |
| Saint-Germain-sur-Sarthe | 85 m | −7.2 °C | −12.5 °C | −13 °C (12 February 2012) | 5 out of 23 |
| Thorée-les-Pins | 78 m | −7.2 °C | −11.5 °C | −13 °C (2 January 1997) | 6 out of 30 |
| Le mans | 51 m | −7.5 °C | −11.5 °C | −14.8 °C (7 January 2009) | 5 out of 30 |
| Le luart | 112 m | −7.6 °C | −12.4 °C | −13.3 °C (9 February 2012) | 7 out of 21 |
| Marolles-les-Braults | 65 m | −7.7 °C | −12.7 °C | −16.5 °C (9 February 2012) | 10 out of 30 |
| Saint-Corneille | 62 m | −8 °C | −14 °C | −16.5 °C (12 February 2012) | 10 out of 22 |
| Cormes | 122 m | −8.5 °C | −14 °C | −15.5 °C (8 January 2010) | 13 out of 30 |
| La Fresnaye-sur-Chédouet | 146 m | −9.3 °C | −14.5 °C | −17.5 °C (11 February 2012) | 18 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. In February 2012, La Fresnaye-sur-Chédouet fell to −17.5 °C and Saint-Corneille to −16.5 °C; in January 2009, Le Mans recorded −14.8 °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 Sarthe
- Rely on the hardiest. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 do without protection throughout the Sarthe; the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas too, except in the Saosnois and the Perche, where they need a fleece on frosty nights. Lemon trees stay in pots everywhere; orange trees and clementines almost everywhere.
- Beware of low spots. At night, cold air slides down to the bottom of slopes. The records show large differences only a few kilometres apart: one winter in ten, Saint-Corneille falls to −14.0 °C, 2.5 °C lower than Le Mans, while Rouessé-Vassé, at 206 m, stays at −8.4 °C. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take care of drainage. The clay soils of the département stay wet all winter, and they are often chalky in the Saosnois and the Perche. 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. From September onwards, no fertiliser and no pruning.
- 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 Le Mans?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Le Mans falls to −7 °C in an ordinary winter and −12 °C one winter in ten. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. For a sour fruit in the ground, choose a yuzu instead: Yuzu and Yuzu 3 (−15 °C) spend the winter outdoors throughout the Sarthe; the other yuzus (−12 °C) too around Le Mans, with a fleece on frosty nights in the Saosnois and the Perche. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in the Sarthe?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter outdoors without protection throughout the département. So do the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas, except in the Saosnois and the Sarthe Perche, where they need a fleece on frosty nights. The other satsumas and kumquats are grown with a fleece everywhere. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety: between Sablé and the Loir valley, at −11 °C one winter in ten, orange trees and the hardiest clementines can be tried with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Around Le Mans, 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).