In Paris, the city itself protects against the cold. Stone, tarmac and buildings give back at night the heat they received during the day: one winter in ten, the cold falls to about −9 °C, and only to around −4 °C in an ordinary winter. That is enough for several citrus trees in the ground, and for many others in pots on a balcony or terrace.
We went through thirty winters of Météo-France records, from 1996 to 2026, and compared them with the hardiness of each of our plants. 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:
−9 °Cone winter in ten
Paris intra-muros
Paris 4e, Paris 5e, Paris 7e, Paris 11e, Paris 14e, Paris 16e, Paris 18e, Paris 20e
See the citrus trees for this area
The city keeps its heat at night: Paris has less frost than its suburbs. One winter in ten, Montsouris falls to −8.5 °C and the Jardin du Luxembourg to −8.9 °C; in an ordinary winter, the cold stops at around −4 °C. Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats, citranges and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors in the ground; orange trees and the other clementines with a fleece, in a courtyard or against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees stay in pots. The station perched at the top of the Eiffel Tower, at 330 m in altitude, is colder (−10.0 °C): it does not measure a garden.
Tour Eiffel (sommet)
In open ground, without protection
They withstand −9 °C. In the first years, a fleece on nights below −5 °C is a sensible precaution.
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Satsuma China S-2
down to −12 °C · €41.00
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Ermelo Orange
down to −10 °C · €47.00
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Changsha Mandarin
down to −12 °C · €38.00
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Changshan Huyou
down to −11 °C · €38.00
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Sudachi Seneca
down to −12 °C · €42.00
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Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
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Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
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Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 38 available plants that withstand −9 °C
Sold out for now: 31 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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 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 −6 °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.
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Fukumoto Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
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Fina Clementine
down to −8 °C · €29.75
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Enzo Grapefruit
down to −8 °C · €35.00
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Murcott Tangor
down to −8 °C · €35.00
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Citradia
down to −8 °C · €35.00
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Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
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Cara Cara Orange
down to −8 °C · €35.00
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Glauca
down to −8 °C · €38.00
See all 27 available plants that withstand −6 °C
Sold out for now: 15 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hassaku, Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, Moro Orange, 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 −6 °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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jardin du Luxembourg | 50 m | −4.2 °C | −8.9 °C | −11.5 °C (1 January 1997) | 2 out of 28 |
| Paris-Montsouris | 75 m | −4.4 °C | −8.5 °C | −11.2 °C (1 January 1997) | 1 out of 30 |
| Tour Eiffel (summit) | 330 m | −6 °C | −10 °C | −13.8 °C (1 January 1997) | 4 out of 24 |
“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 January 1997, the Jardin du Luxembourg fell to −11.5 °C and Montsouris to −11.2 °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. The record of −13.8 °C in the table comes from the station at the top of the Eiffel Tower, which is more exposed than a garden.
To understand what helps a tree get through frost, read Understanding citrus hardiness.
Our advice for Paris
- Make the most of the city effect. An enclosed courtyard, the foot of a south-facing wall or a terrace backing onto the building is often milder than the nearest station. An open square or a wind-swept roof is less so.
- On a balcony, the pot freezes before the tree. Roots withstand cold less well than branches. On frosty nights, wrap the pot in insulation, raise it on feet and empty the saucer. The bigger the pot, the better the root ball holds out.
- Beware of the wind higher up. On the top floors, the wind dries out the leaves and chills the pot. Place your citrus trees against the front of the building, sheltered by a corner or a wall, and put the winter fleece on on frosty nights.
- Bring lemon trees in. They only withstand about −5 °C. In winter, keep them in a bright, cool, frost-free room, or on a very sheltered balcony with a fleece as soon as it freezes.
- In the ground, choose the rootstock for your soil. Poncirus is the most cold-resistant; in chalky, dry soil, FA5 does better. In heavy soil, plant on a mound. Our 5-step test helps you choose: Which rootstock should you choose?
- Plant or repot 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 Paris?
Not without risk. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and Paris falls to around −4 °C in an ordinary winter and −9 °C one winter in ten. Grow them in pots on a sheltered balcony or terrace, brought in on nights of hard frost. For a sour fruit in the ground, choose a yuzu instead: Yuzu and Yuzu 3 withstand −15 °C, the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki) −12 °C. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in Paris?
Satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter in the ground without protection. They are brought together in Hardy citrus.
What about orange trees and clementines?
They withstand −7 to −9 °C depending on the variety. In Paris, the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors without protection; orange trees and the other clementines are grown outdoors with a fleece on frosty nights, against a south-facing wall, in a courtyard or on a terrace sheltered from the wind. In a pot, insulate the pot as well.
My town is not listed: what should I choose in the suburbs?
These figures apply to Paris itself, within the city limits. Moving away from the centre, the city effect fades and winter gets colder, especially in the valleys and in the outer suburbs. See the page for your département and compare with the nearest station in the table of readings.
These figures are guidelines. Your courtyard, balcony or terrace 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).