In Haute-Savoie, the cold depends first of all on two things: the distance from Lake Léman and altitude. One winter in ten, it falls to about −10 °C on the shores of Lake Léman, −13 °C in the Genevois and around Annecy, −16 °C at the bottom of the Arve and Giffre valleys, and −19 °C in the mountains.
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:
−10 °Cone winter in ten
Shores of Lake Léman
Thonon-les-Bains, Évian-les-Bains, Publier, Sciez, Excenevex, Lugrin
See the citrus trees for this area
Lake Léman softens its shores: in Thonon and Évian, −10 °C one winter in ten and −5 °C in an ordinary winter, the mildest cold in the département. As soon as you go up, winter gets harsher: on the heights above Évian, at 725 m, −14.0 °C is recorded one winter in ten. By the lake, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors; orange trees and clementines with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees stay in pots. The soil is often chalky.
Évian-les-Bains (725 m)
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, shallow chalky soils and chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky.
Rootstocks to favour: FA5, then C35.
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 −10 °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
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
-
Morton Citrange
down to −15 °C · €35.00
See all 32 available plants that withstand −10 °C
Sold out for now: 27 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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, Yuzu.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −7 °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.
-
Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
-
Clemenules Clementine
down to −9 °C · €35.00
-
Marsh Seedless Grapefruit
down to −9 °C · €29.75
-
Kabosu
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuko
down to −9 °C · €38.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
See all 33 available plants that withstand −7 °C
Sold out for now: 19 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Haruka, Hassaku, Hyuganatsu, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Mapo Tangelo, Moro Orange, Natsudaidai, Ota 38 Tangor, Salustiana Orange, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, US SuperNa, 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 −7 °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
Genevois and the Bornes plateau
Annemasse, Gaillard, Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, Archamps, Reignier-Ésery, Cruseilles, Groisy, Frangy
See the citrus trees for this area
Around Annemasse, Saint-Julien and Cruseilles: −13 °C one winter in ten, −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Gaillard, on the edge of Geneva, stays at −12.8 °C; Contamine-sur-Arve and Groisy, on the Bornes plateau, fall to −14.0 °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, calls for a mound if it is heavy.
Groisy
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, river alluvium and chalky 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 −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.
−13 °Cone winter in ten
Annecy and the Albanais
Annecy, Rumilly, Poisy, Epagny Metz-Tessy, Sévrier, Alby-sur-Chéran
See the citrus trees for this area
Around Annecy and Rumilly: −13 °C one winter in ten, −9 °C in an ordinary winter. On the edge of Annecy, Meythet falls to −12.8 °C one winter in ten; Bloye, near Rumilly, recorded −16.1 °C in February 2012. Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 spend the winter outdoors; the other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats with a fleece, against a south-facing wall; the other citrus trees stay in pots. The soil is often chalky: plant on a mound if it is heavy.
Bloye
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has calcium-rich but barely chalky soils, ordinary brown soils and river alluvium. 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 −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
Arve, Giffre and Chablais valleys
Bonneville, Cluses, Sallanches, La Roche-sur-Foron, Thônes, Samoëns, Taninges, Abondance
See the citrus trees for this area
The valley bottoms, from 450 to 815 m: −16 °C one winter in ten, −12 °C in an ordinary winter. Cold air collects here: Servoz falls to −18.0 °C and Sallanches to −17.3 °C, lower than Combloux, 640 m higher up (−15.2 °C). Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3 only spend the winter outdoors here with a fleece; the other citrus trees stay in pots. If you plant, choose a sunny hillside rather than the bottom of the valley.
Servoz
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, calcium-rich but barely chalky soils and shallow chalky 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 −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.
−19 °Cone winter in ten
Mountains and resorts
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Megève, Les Houches, La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand, Les Gets, Morzine, Les Contamines-Montjoie
See the citrus trees for this area
Above 1,000 m, from Mont Blanc to the Aravis and the upper Chablais: −19 °C one winter in ten, −14 °C in an ordinary winter, and Chamonix at −20.9 °C one winter in ten. All citrus trees stay in pots here, even citranges. Bring them into a bright, frost-free room from autumn to spring.
Le Grand-Bornand (1 430 m)
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has river alluvium, shallow chalky soils and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often 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 −19 °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 −16 °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 −16 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Évian-les-Bains | 395 m | −4.8 °C | −9.5 °C | −10.9 °C (5 February 2012) | 4 out of 30 |
| Thonon-les-Bains (INRAE) | 376 m | −5.1 °C | −9.6 °C | −11 °C (20 December 2009) | 4 out of 30 |
| Usinens | 452 m | −6.4 °C | −11.7 °C | −12.2 °C (20 December 2009) | 7 out of 22 |
| Gaillard | 399 m | −8 °C | −12.8 °C | −13 °C (6 February 2012) | 14 out of 30 |
| Archamps | 560 m | −8.1 °C | −13.4 °C | −14.4 °C (20 December 2009) | 12 out of 24 |
| Bloye | 375 m | −9 °C | −14 °C | −16.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 30 |
| Meythet | 455 m | −9.4 °C | −12.8 °C | −15.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 30 |
| Évian-les-Bains (725 m) | 725 m | −9.5 °C | −14 °C | −14.3 °C (4 February 2012) | 14 out of 24 |
| Groisy | 670 m | −9.6 °C | −14 °C | −16 °C (5 February 2012) | 20 out of 30 |
| Cran-Gevrier | 426 m | −9.8 °C | −13.3 °C | −16 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 30 |
| Contamine-sur-Arve | 452 m | −10 °C | −14 °C | −14.7 °C (3 December 2010) | 18 out of 30 |
| Ayze | 449 m | −11 °C | −15.5 °C | −17.8 °C (7 February 2012) | 22 out of 30 |
| Thônes | 630 m | −11.2 °C | −15 °C | −18.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
| Saint-Sigismond | 1020 m | −11.3 °C | −15.4 °C | −19.4 °C (5 February 2012) | 24 out of 28 |
| Bonneville | 453 m | −11.4 °C | −15.7 °C | −17.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 17 out of 23 |
| Combloux | 1183 m | −11.5 °C | −15.2 °C | −19.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 26 out of 30 |
| Éteaux | 805 m | −11.6 °C | −16.6 °C | −17.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 16 out of 20 |
| Samoëns | 785 m | −11.9 °C | −16 °C | −19.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 25 out of 30 |
| Les Carroz-d'Arâches | 1151 m | −12 °C | −16.4 °C | −20 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 30 |
| Sallanches | 542 m | −12.2 °C | −17.3 °C | −19.7 °C (5 February 2012) | 27 out of 30 |
| Vacheresse | 790 m | −13 °C | −16.6 °C | −19.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 out of 30 |
| Servoz | 815 m | −13.1 °C | −18 °C | −21.3 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 30 |
| Les Contamines-Montjoie | 1180 m | −13.1 °C | −16.8 °C | −21 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 out of 30 |
| Le Pleney (Morzine) | 1515 m | −13.4 °C | −17.1 °C | −22.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 26 out of 27 |
| Les Gets | 1172 m | −14 °C | −18.2 °C | −21.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Le Grand-Bornand (1,300 m) | 1300 m | −14 °C | −18.5 °C | −21.8 °C (7 February 2012) | 29 out of 30 |
| Le Grand-Bornand (1,430 m) | 1430 m | −14.4 °C | −20.1 °C | −24.1 °C (7 February 2012) | 20 out of 21 |
| La Clusaz | 1180 m | −14.5 °C | −19 °C | −22.6 °C (5 February 2012) | 28 out of 28 |
| Les Houches | 1004 m | −14.6 °C | −19 °C | −22.1 °C (5 February 2012) | 30 out of 30 |
| Megève | 1080 m | −14.6 °C | −19 °C | −23.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 out of 30 |
| Vallorcine | 1326 m | −15.1 °C | −18.5 °C | −21.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 26 out of 26 |
| Chamonix-Mont-Blanc | 1042 m | −16 °C | −20.9 °C | −23.2 °C (5 February 2012) | 29 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, Servoz fell to −21.3 °C and Meythet, near Annecy, to −15.1 °C; even Évian-les-Bains, on the lake shore, recorded −10.9 °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 Haute-Savoie
- Make the most of Lake Léman. Its shores are the only corner of the département where satsumas, the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) and kumquats do without protection, and where orange trees and clementines can be tried in the ground, with a fleece. Choose your citrus according to the cold in your garden: a few kilometres from the lake and a few hundred metres higher up, winter is much harsher.
- Beware of valley bottoms. On clear nights, cold air flows down and lingers at the bottom. The records show it: one winter in ten, Sallanches, at 542 m, falls to −17.3 °C, lower than Combloux at 1,183 m (−15.2 °C). Plant on a sunny hillside, against a south-facing wall.
- Shelter young plants from the bise. In the Genevois and around Lake Léman, this cold north-east wind makes frosty nights worse. A wall, a hedge or the corner of a house is often enough.
- Choose the rootstock for your soil. The soil is often chalky in the département: plant on a mound if it is heavy. 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 Annecy?
No. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Annecy falls to −9 °C in an ordinary winter and −13 °C one winter in ten. Even in Thonon, on the shore of Lake Léman, the cold of one winter in ten reaches −10 °C. 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: without protection on the shores of Lake Léman, in the Genevois and around Annecy. The other yuzus (−12 °C) need a fleece in the Genevois and around Annecy. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in Haute-Savoie?
Citranges, Yuzu and Yuzu 3, which withstand −15 °C: they spend the winter outdoors on the shores of Lake Léman, in the Genevois and around Annecy, and with a fleece at the bottom of the valleys. The other yuzus, satsumas and kumquats hold out without protection by the lake, and with a fleece around Annecy and in the Genevois. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. On the shores of Lake Léman, orange trees and clementines are grown in the ground, with a fleece on frosty nights, sheltered by a south-facing wall. Everywhere else in the département, keep them in pots.
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).