Hardiness −3 °C. Municipality by municipality, depending on how cautious you are about frost. See the page “Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime – Collector's citrus”

Why choose a risk profile?

Standard hardiness maps, such as the USDA zones, show the 30-year average of the coldest night of each winter. They are reassuring, but misleading: a citrus tree does not die of an average, it dies of the coldest night it goes through. About one winter in three drops below that average, and a single harsh winter can be enough to lose a tree.

The right level of risk therefore depends on your project. A farmer diversifying into citrus commits each tree for twenty years. For them, it is not enough for the tree to survive: the crop has to sell. An early frost, in autumn or early winter, damages the fruit still on the tree before it has reached the sugar level the market expects. A late frost, in spring, destroys the flowers and young shoots, and with them the next crop. A dead tree leaves a gap in the row, and a frozen or overly acidic crop means a year without income. A farmer will therefore lean towards Conservative or Cautious, and will also take into account the risk of frost on flowers and fruit, not just the cold the tree itself can withstand.

For a home gardener planting a few citrus trees, losing a variety now and then is no disaster. A good harvest every two or three years is already a success, and slightly less sweet fruit still makes excellent marmalade. Gambler, or even Daredevil, may suit them. Gardeners also have an advantage that an orchard does not: they can choose the exact spot to gain a few degrees, against a south-facing wall, in a corner sheltered from the wind, away from hollows where cold air collects. They can also cover the plant with a winter fleece on frosty nights when the winter is harsher than usual.

The five profiles range from the worst winter of the last 30 years (Conservative) to the average of the last 5 winters (Daredevil). If in doubt, choose Cautious: the cold that comes back about one winter in ten.

Choose your country:
How cautious are you about frost?

Cautious: the cold that comes back about one winter in ten

Legend

  • Without protection one winter in ten (Cautious profile)
  • With a winter fleece or in a sheltered spot: facing south, against a wall, out of the wind (one winter in ten)
  • In a pot, sheltered in winter
Map of France: where to plant Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime in the ground
Hover over or tap a municipality, or search for it by name or postcode.

© Greffeur d’agrumes 2026 – greffeurdagrumes.com · SRTM, EU-DEM (Terrain Tiles)

In short

For a “Cautious” gardener (the cold that comes back about one winter in ten), this variety (hardiness −3 °C) survives without protection in 0.1% of the municipalities of mainland France, with a winter fleece in 1.2%, and should be grown in a pot in 98.7%.

It survives without protection only in places: less than a quarter of the municipalities in each region.

A “Conservative” gardener (the worst winter of the last 30 years) will see it survive without protection in 0.0% of municipalities; a “Gambler” (the average of the 30 winters) in 1.1%, at the risk that about one winter in three goes lower and damages it.

Details: 30 large cities and frequently asked questions
Cold used and verdict in 30 large cities (centre of the municipality)
CityConservativeCautiousNormalGamblerDaredevil
Paris−12 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−5 °C – with a fleece−3 °C – without protection
Marseille−10 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece
Lyon−14 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece
Toulouse−12 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−6 °C – with a fleece
Nice−5 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece−3 °C – without protection−1 °C – without protection1 °C – without protection
Nantes−11 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece
Montpellier−10 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−5 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece
Strasbourg−14 °C – in a pot−13 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece
Bordeaux−9 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−4 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece
Lille−13 °C – in a pot−12 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece
Rennes−10 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece
Reims−16 °C – in a pot−13 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot
Toulon−3 °C – without protection−3 °C – without protection−2 °C – without protection−1 °C – without protection−1 °C – without protection
Saint-Étienne−17 °C – in a pot−15 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot
Le Havre−11 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece
Grenoble−19 °C – in a pot−17 °C – in a pot−15 °C – in a pot−12 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot
Dijon−19 °C – in a pot−15 °C – in a pot−14 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot
Angers−12 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece
Nîmes−8 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece
Clermont-Ferrand−18 °C – in a pot−15 °C – in a pot−14 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot
Aix-en-Provence−11 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece
Brest−7 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−4 °C – with a fleece−3 °C – without protection−3 °C – without protection
Tours−14 °C – in a pot−12 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−5 °C – with a fleece
Limoges−15 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot
Perpignan−6 °C – with a fleece−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece−3 °C – without protection−3 °C – without protection
Metz−16 °C – in a pot−15 °C – in a pot−13 °C – in a pot−11 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot
Besançon−18 °C – in a pot−16 °C – in a pot−14 °C – in a pot−10 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot
Orléans−14 °C – in a pot−14 °C – in a pot−13 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot
Pau−11 °C – in a pot−9 °C – in a pot−8 °C – in a pot−6 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece
La Rochelle−9 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−7 °C – in a pot−5 °C – with a fleece−5 °C – with a fleece

Frequently asked questions

Can Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime survive winter in the ground in Paris?

In Paris, the cold used is −12 °C for a conservative gardener (the worst winter in 30 years), −9 °C for a cautious one (one winter in ten) and −5 °C for a gambler (the average of the 30 winters). With a hardiness of −3 °C, Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime is: in a pot (Conservative), in a pot (Cautious), with a fleece (Gambler).

Can Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime survive winter in the ground in Lyon?

In Lyon, the cold used is −14 °C for a conservative gardener (the worst winter in 30 years), −11 °C for a cautious one (one winter in ten) and −8 °C for a gambler (the average of the 30 winters). With a hardiness of −3 °C, Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime is: in a pot (Conservative), in a pot (Cautious), in a pot (Gambler).

Where can Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime be planted in the ground without protection?

It survives without protection only in places: less than a quarter of the municipalities in each region. Look up your municipality on the map above.

Does Lightly Variegated Tahiti Lime need a winter fleece?

For the Cautious profile, a fleece is enough in 1.2% of municipalities (ochre hatching on the map). Put it on for each frost and take it off as soon as the frost is over. Where the map stays grey, grow it in a pot, sheltered in winter.

About this variety

This Tahiti lime catches the eye with green-and-white leaves, some entirely white.

Cold: Météo-France records (Licence Ouverte), winters 1996-1997 to 2025-2026, estimated for each municipality from nearby stations and altitude; near the eastern border, also Deutscher Wetterdienst (Datenlizenz Deutschland 2.0). Municipalities and boundaries: INSEE, IGN (Licence Ouverte).

Hardiness: as shown on the variety page, for an adult, acclimatised plant during a short frost. Your garden may be milder or colder than the centre of the municipality. Put the fleece on for each frost and take it off as soon as the frost is over.

Belgium: RMI records (CC BY 4.0), estimated for each municipality from nearby stations and altitude; municipalities: Wikidata; boundaries © EuroGeographics (GISCO).

Luxembourg: MeteoLux records at Findel (CC0) and nearby stations (RMI, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Météo-France); municipalities: Administration du cadastre et de la topographie (CC0).

Germany: Deutscher Wetterdienst records (Datenlizenz Deutschland 2.0), estimated for each municipality from nearby stations and altitude; municipalities: Destatis, Wikidata; boundaries © EuroGeographics (GISCO).

Italy: Copernicus ERA5-Land climate grid, corrected with Italian weather station records (NOAA GSOD), estimated for each municipality with altitude; municipalities and boundaries © EuroGeographics (GISCO).

Spain: Copernicus ERA5-Land climate grid, corrected with AEMET station records (© AEMET), estimated for each municipality with altitude; municipalities and boundaries © EuroGeographics (GISCO).

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