In Seine-Maritime, the English Channel makes the difference. One winter in ten, the cold falls to about −8 °C on the coast, from Le Havre to Dieppe, −11 °C in Rouen and the Seine valley, and −12 °C on the Caux plateau and in the Pays de Bray.
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:
−8 °Cone winter in ten
Le Havre and the Côte d'Albâtre
Le Havre, Sainte-Adresse, Octeville-sur-Mer, Étretat, Fécamp, Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Varengeville-sur-Mer, Dieppe
See the citrus trees for this area
The sea softens the whole coast: −8 °C one winter in ten, −5 °C in an ordinary winter. At the Cap de la Hève, above Le Havre, only −6.8 °C is recorded one winter in ten; Dieppe falls a little lower, to −9.8 °C. Orange trees, the hardiest clementines, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter outdoors; the other clementines and lemon trees with a fleece on frosty nights, at the foot of a sheltered wall. Protect the leaves from the sea wind and the salt spray behind a hedge or a wall.
Dieppe
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has ordinary brown soils, shallow chalky soils and silty soils. In practice, the soil is often clayey, silty and winter-wet.
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 −8 °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
-
Orisa 9 Tangor
down to −9 °C · €41.00
-
Yuzu 3
down to −15 °C · €38.00
-
Fukushu Kumquat
down to −10 °C · €32.30
See all 57 available plants that withstand −8 °C
Sold out for now: 43 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Ambersweet, Auline, Bendizao Mandarin, Corsican Mountain Orange, Dom Joao Orange, Fragola Orange, Hana Yuzu, 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 Dobashi Beni, Satsuma Iwasaki, Satsuma Kowano, Satsuma Louisiana, Satsuma Miho, Satsuma Pucheng, Satsuma Saigon, Satsuma Waze, Sciara x Clem Blood Tangor, Seminole, Setubalense Mandarin, Shunkokan, Thornless Yuzu, Ugli, Vaniglia Sanguigno Orange, Wekiwa Tangelolo, Yuzu, Z194 Ichangensis x Sinensis.
In open ground, with a fleece on frosty nights
They withstand −5 °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.
-
Carvalhal Early Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €29.75
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Star Ruby Grapefruit
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Bergamot Fantastico
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Tavares Limequat
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Early Clementine
down to −7 °C · €29.75
-
Moon Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €41.00
-
Encore Mandarin
down to −7 °C · €35.00
-
Purple Finger Lime
down to −7 °C · €45.00
See all 15 available plants that withstand −5 °C
Sold out for now: 3 other plants
On their page, “Notify me” lets you know when they are back: Iyo Mikan Tangor, Mandalate Mandarin, US SuperNa.
The others: in a pot, brought in for the winter
Lemons, limes and less hardy citrus (more tender than −5 °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.
−11 °Cone winter in ten
Rouen and the Seine valley
Rouen, Sotteville-lès-Rouen, Le Grand-Quevilly, Elbeuf, Boos, Duclair, Jumièges, Lillebonne
See the citrus trees for this area
Rouen and the meanders of the Seine: −11 °C one winter in ten, −7 °C in an ordinary winter. The centre of Rouen has less frost (−9.6 °C); on the riverbank, Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit falls to −11.7 °C and recorded −17.7 °C in February 2012. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors; the other satsumas, kumquats, orange trees and the hardiest clementines with a fleece, against a south-facing wall. Lemon trees and the other clementines stay in pots. The soil, often chalky, stays wet at the bottom of the valley: plant on a mound.
Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, waterlogged soils and shallow chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often chalky and winter-wet.
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
Pays de Caux
Goderville, Criquetot-l'Esneval, Bolbec, Yvetot, Doudeville, Cany-Barville
See the citrus trees for this area
The Caux plateau, open to the wind: −12 °C one winter in ten, −5 °C in an ordinary winter. Goderville, near the coast, stays at −9.0 °C; at Ectot-lès-Baons, near Yvetot, in a hollow of the plateau, the cold falls to −14.0 °C one winter in ten, and −15.9 °C was recorded there in February 2012. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines with a fleece. Orange trees, the other clementines and lemon trees stay in pots. The silty and clay soils of the plateau stay wet in winter: plant on a mound, sheltered by a planted bank or a wall.
Ectot-lès-Baons
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has silty soils, shallow chalky soils and calcium-rich but barely chalky soils. In practice, the soil is often winter-wet, 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 −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.
−12 °Cone winter in ten
Pays de Bray and the Bresle valley
Buchy, Forges-les-Eaux, Neufchâtel-en-Bray, Gournay-en-Bray, Aumale, Blangy-sur-Bresle, Eu
See the citrus trees for this area
The east of the département: −12 °C one winter in ten at Buchy, a little less at Eu, in the Bresle valley (−11.0 °C), and −8 °C in an ordinary winter. Citranges, yuzus and the hardiest satsumas spend the winter outdoors; the other satsumas, kumquats and the hardiest clementines with a fleece. Orange trees, the other clementines and lemon trees stay in pots. The soil, often silty, is sometimes wet and clay in the Bray: plant on a mound.
Buchy
The soil of the area and the rootstock
According to the soil map, this area mostly has soils waterlogged part of the year, foot-of-slope soils and ordinary brown soils. In practice, the soil is often silty, winter-wet 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 −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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap de la Hève | 100 m | −3.7 °C | −6.8 °C | −10.5 °C (1 January 1997) | 1 out of 30 |
| Fécamp | 104 m | −4.1 °C | −7.5 °C | −11 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 29 |
| Octeville-sur-Mer | 90 m | −5 °C | −8.5 °C | −10.7 °C (2 January 1997) | 2 out of 30 |
| Ectot-lès-Baons | 150 m | −5.4 °C | −14 °C | −15.9 °C (11 February 2012) | 4 out of 21 |
| Goderville | 118 m | −5.5 °C | −9 °C | −15 °C (11 February 2012) | 3 out of 30 |
| Dieppe | 40 m | −5.7 °C | −9.8 °C | −12 °C (12 February 2012) | 3 out of 30 |
| Rouen (town) | 21 m | −5.7 °C | −9.6 °C | −11 °C (29 December 1996) | 3 out of 30 |
| Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit | 4 m | −6.5 °C | −11.7 °C | −17.7 °C (11 February 2012) | 5 out of 20 |
| Eu | 13 m | −7 °C | −11 °C | −13 °C (10 January 2009) | 5 out of 27 |
| Jumièges | 30 m | −7 °C | −10.8 °C | −14 °C (11 February 2012) | 6 out of 30 |
| Rouen-Boos | 156 m | −7 °C | −10.9 °C | −12.9 °C (1 January 1997) | 6 out of 30 |
| Buchy | 211 m | −8 °C | −12 °C | −13.5 °C (1 January 1997) | 8 out of 22 |
“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, Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit fell to −17.7 °C and Ectot-lès-Baons to −15.9 °C; on 1 January 1997, even the Cap de la Hève recorded −10.5 °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 Seine-Maritime
- On the coast, make the most of the sea. The coast offers favoured conditions: orange trees, satsumas, yuzus, kumquats and citranges spend the winter there without protection, as do the hardiest clementines; the other clementines and lemon trees need a fleece. Choose your citrus according to the cold in your garden, and shelter them from the sea wind and the salt spray behind a hedge or a wall.
- On the plateau, block the wind. The Pays de Caux is very open, and its hollows are cold: one winter in ten, Ectot-lès-Baons falls to −14.0 °C, Goderville to −9.0 °C. A planted bank, a hedge or a south-facing wall protects young plants on windy frosty nights.
- Beware of the banks of the Seine. At night, cold air flows down towards the river and the valley bottoms. The records show it: one winter in ten, Notre-Dame-de-Bliquetuit falls to −11.7 °C, 2 °C lower than the centre of Rouen. Plant halfway up a slope or against a south-facing wall, never at the lowest point of the garden.
- Take care of drainage. The silty and clay soils of the Caux stay wet in winter, as do the low grounds of the Seine valley and the Bray. 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 Havre?
Yes, with a fleece. Lemon trees withstand about −5 °C, and the coast falls to −5 °C in an ordinary winter and −8 °C one winter in ten. Plant them at the foot of a sheltered wall and put a fleece on at each frost. In Rouen, where it reaches −11 °C one winter in ten, keep them in pots, brought in for the winter to a bright room protected from frost. For a sour fruit in the ground, choose a yuzu instead: Yuzu and Yuzu 3 (−15 °C), like the other yuzus (Yuzu 30, thornless, Tada Nishiki, −12 °C), spend the winter without protection throughout the département. You will find them in Lemons and lemon substitutes.
Which citrus trees withstand the cold best in Seine-Maritime?
Citranges, which withstand −15 °C, spend the winter without protection throughout the département. Yuzus and the hardiest satsumas also do without it everywhere; on the coast, all satsumas and kumquats too. Elsewhere, the other satsumas and kumquats need a fleece on frosty nights. 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 coast, orange trees and the hardiest clementines spend the winter outdoors without protection; the other clementines need a fleece on frosty nights, at the foot of a sheltered wall. In Rouen, orange trees and the hardiest clementines can be tried with a fleece, against a south-facing wall; on the Caux plateau and in the Pays de Bray, only the hardiest clementines. Keep the others in pots, brought in for 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. More than a few kilometres from the sea, do not count on its effect any more. Take off 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).