In Savoie, altitude and the shape of the valleys decide everything. One winter in ten, the cold falls to about −13 °C around Chambéry and the Lac du Bourget, −14 °C in Albertville and at the bottom of the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys, −17 °C in the Avant-Pays and the Bauges, and −21 °C in the mountain resorts.
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:
−13 °Cone winter in ten
Chambéry, the Lac du Bourget and the Combe de Savoie
Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains, La Motte-Servolex, Le Bourget-du-Lac, Challes-les-Eaux, Montmélian, Saint-Pierre-d'Albigny
See the citrus trees for this area
The least cold part of Savoie: −13 °C one winter in ten, −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Near the Lac du Bourget, the Chambéry-Aix station only falls to −12.0 °C one winter in ten, while Challes-les-Eaux, at the foot of the mountains, records −15.0 °C. 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 silty, calls for a mound if it is heavy.
Challes-les-Eaux
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, ordinary brown soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, clayey and silty.
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 −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.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Albertville and Ugine
Albertville, Ugine, Gilly-sur-Isère, Frontenex, Grignon, Verrens-Arvey
See the citrus trees for this area
Where the Combe de Savoie and the Arly valley open out: −14 °C one winter in ten, −9 °C in an ordinary winter. Gilly-sur-Isère, on the Isère plain, records −16.3 °C one winter in ten, more than 3 °C below Albertville at the same altitude. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece on frosty nights; keep the other citrus trees in pots. The soil, silty and often chalky, drains better on a mound.
Gilly-sur-Isère
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, thin acid soils and calcium-rich but barely chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, silty, acid and clayey.
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 −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.
−14 °Cone winter in ten
Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Sainte-Marie-de-Cuines, Moûtiers, Aime-la-Plagne, Bourg-Saint-Maurice
See the citrus trees for this area
The valley bottoms, from 460 to 865 m in altitude: −14 °C one winter in ten, −10 °C in an ordinary winter. Moûtiers and Sainte-Marie-de-Cuines are the least cold; Bourg-Saint-Maurice falls to −16.4 °C. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors here; the other yuzus and the hardiest satsumas with a fleece on frosty nights; keep the other citrus trees in pots. Plant on the adret, the sunny side of the valley, against a south-facing wall; the soil there is often silty, sometimes acid.
Bourg-Saint-Maurice
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, thin acid soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet, acid, clayey and silty.
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 −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
Avant-Pays Savoyard, Albanais and Bauges
Novalaise, Yenne, Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin, Albens, Trévignin, Lescheraines, Le Châtelard
See the citrus trees for this area
Colder than you might think: −17 °C one winter in ten, −11 °C in an ordinary winter. The combes of the Bauges hold the cold air: Lescheraines, at 591 m, falls to −19.8 °C one winter in ten, and La Féclaz recorded −24.0 °C in February 2012. In the Albanais, Mognard is less cold (−15.4 °C). Only citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 live in the ground here, with a fleece at each frost, against a south-facing wall; keep the other citrus trees in pots, brought in for the winter. In the combes, even citranges are too borderline. The soil is often chalky and silty.
La Féclaz
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, chalky soils and shallow chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky, winter-wet and silty.
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.
−21 °Cone winter in ten
High mountains and resorts
Modane, Valloire, Pralognan-la-Vanoise, Courchevel, Val-d'Isère, Tignes, Bessans, Beaufort
See the citrus trees for this area
Above 1,000 m, winter is too long and too cold for citrus trees in the ground: −21 °C one winter in ten, −16 °C in an ordinary winter, and −30.0 °C recorded at Méribel-Mottaret in January 2024. Even citranges stay in pots here. Grow them in tubs, brought into a bright, frost-free room from autumn to spring.
Méribel-Mottaret
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has acid soils, shallow chalky soils and river alluvium. In practice, the soil is often acid, silty and chalky.
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 −21 °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 −18 °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.
No plant available in this range for now.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −18 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montmélian | 264 m | −6.3 °C | −13.3 °C | −14.5 °C (27 November 2005) | 9 out of 22 |
| Chambéry-Aix | 235 m | −7.7 °C | −12 °C | −14.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 9 out of 30 |
| Ugine | 539 m | −8.6 °C | −12 °C | −16.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 14 out of 28 |
| Albertville | 332 m | −8.8 °C | −13.1 °C | −15.2 °C (7 February 2012) | 12 out of 24 |
| Moûtiers | 480 m | −8.9 °C | −12.7 °C | −15.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 15 out of 30 |
| Sainte-Marie-de-Cuines | 460 m | −9.4 °C | −13.2 °C | −15 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 28 |
| Challes-les-Eaux | 298 m | −9.5 °C | −15 °C | −17.5 °C (20 December 2009) | 16 out of 30 |
| Verrens-Arvey | 530 m | −9.8 °C | −14 °C | −16.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 13 out of 23 |
| Saint-Alban-des-Hurtières | 610 m | −9.9 °C | −13.2 °C | −16.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 30 |
| Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne | 550 m | −10 °C | −13.8 °C | −14.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 15 out of 24 |
| Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne | 698 m | −10.7 °C | −14.9 °C | −16.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 21 out of 29 |
| Trévignin | 730 m | −11 °C | −15.3 °C | −17.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 15 out of 24 |
| Mognard | 340 m | −11 °C | −15.4 °C | −16.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 24 |
| Novalaise | 460 m | −11 °C | −16.7 °C | −18.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 29 |
| Gilly-sur-Isère | 330 m | −11.6 °C | −16.3 °C | −19 °C (5 February 2012) | 18 out of 23 |
| Bourg-Saint-Maurice | 865 m | −11.6 °C | −16.4 °C | −18.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
| Beaufort | 1036 m | −12.5 °C | −16 °C | −19.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 27 out of 29 |
| Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne (Le Thyl) | 1345 m | −12.7 °C | −17 °C | −19.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 30 |
| Saint-Colomban-des-Villards | 1085 m | −12.7 °C | −18 °C | −20.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 22 out of 23 |
| Modane (Fréjus) | 1228 m | −13.1 °C | −18 °C | −19.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 20 out of 20 |
| Hauteluce | 1215 m | −13.5 °C | −17.5 °C | −21 °C (5 February 2012) | 26 out of 26 |
| Peisey-Nancroix | 1350 m | −13.8 °C | −17 °C | −19.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 27 out of 27 |
| Avrieux | 1104 m | −14 °C | −18.6 °C | −21.1 °C (7 February 2012) | 29 out of 29 |
| Aussois | 1467 m | −15 °C | −18.5 °C | −20.7 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 28 |
| Lescheraines | 591 m | −15.1 °C | −19.8 °C | −23.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Albiez-Montrond | 1540 m | −15.1 °C | −19.1 °C | −22.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 26 out of 26 |
| La Féclaz | 1328 m | −15.1 °C | −19.9 °C | −24 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Valloire | 1460 m | −15.5 °C | −19.6 °C | −23 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Les Menuires | 1800 m | −15.5 °C | −21 °C | −22.5 °C (4 February 2012) | 26 out of 26 |
| Pralognan-la-Vanoise | 1420 m | −16.1 °C | −21.1 °C | −23.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 28 |
| Saint-Martin-de-Belleville | 1443 m | −16.2 °C | −21 °C | −23.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Mont-Cenis | 2032 m | −16.8 °C | −21.3 °C | −22.1 °C (27 February 2018) | 26 out of 26 |
| Termignon | 1280 m | −16.8 °C | −21.7 °C | −23.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Col des Saisies | 1614 m | −16.9 °C | −22 °C | −25.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Courchevel | 1780 m | −17.1 °C | −21.4 °C | −24.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 out of 29 |
| La Plagne | 1980 m | −17.8 °C | −21.5 °C | −24 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Méribel-Mottaret | 1700 m | −19 °C | −25 °C | −30 °C (6 January 2024) | 30 out of 30 |
| Val-d'Isère | 1850 m | −19.4 °C | −25 °C | −25.2 °C (31 December 2000) | 30 out of 30 |
| Tignes | 2084 m | −20.2 °C | −24.3 °C | −27.8 °C (27 February 2018) | 30 out of 30 |
| Bessans | 1731 m | −21.4 °C | −26.6 °C | −27.8 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 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 5 February 2012, Gilly-sur-Isère fell to −19.0 °C, Bourg-Saint-Maurice to −18.8 °C and Chambéry-Aix to −14.4 °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 Savoie
- Start with citranges. They withstand −15 °C and spend the winter outdoors around Chambéry, in Albertville and at the bottom of the valleys, just like Yuzu and Yuzu 3. In these three areas, the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and the hardiest satsumas live with a fleece; around Chambéry, kumquats and the other satsumas too. Lemon trees, orange trees and clementines stay in pots throughout the département.
- Look for the winter sun. Plant on the adret, the south-facing side of the valley, against a wall that gives back the heat. Avoid the foot of a shaded slope: the ground stays frozen there for a long time.
- Avoid the bottom of plains and the combes. Cold air flows down and lingers. The records show it: one winter in ten, Gilly-sur-Isère falls to −16.3 °C, more than 3 °C below Albertville at the same altitude, and Lescheraines, in the Bauges, to −19.8 °C. Plant halfway up a slope, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Adapt to the soil. Around Chambéry, in the Avant-Pays and the Bauges, it is often chalky: plant on a mound if it is heavy. In the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys, it is sometimes acid.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant. In chalky, dry soil, FA5 does better; in acid soil, 4475, in a large hole with improved soil and with more water 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. 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 Chambéry?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and the Chambéry area falls to −9 °C in an ordinary winter and −13 °C one winter in ten. Keep them in pots, brought in for the winter. For a sour fruit in the garden, choose Yuzu or Yuzu 3 instead, which withstand −15 °C: they spend the winter outdoors around Chambéry and the Lac du Bourget. The other yuzus (−12 °C) need a fleece there on frosty nights. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in Savoie?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C. They spend the winter without protection around Chambéry and the Lac du Bourget, in Albertville and at the bottom of the valleys. In the Avant-Pays and the Bauges, they need a fleece at each frost; above 1,000 m, they stay in pots. They are brought together with the other cold-resistant citrus in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety: that is too little everywhere in Savoie, even on the shores of the Lac du Bourget. Grow them in pots, outdoors from spring to autumn and brought into a bright, cool, frost-free room during the winter.
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).