Hardiness −12 °C. Municipality by municipality, depending on how cautious you are about frost. See the page “Ambersweet – Mandarin hybrid”
- Without protection one winter in ten (Reasonable profile)
- With a winter fleece put on during frosty nights (one winter in ten)
- In a pot, sheltered in winter
- Black line: limit of the Bold profile. On one side it came through the last 5 winters without protection; on the other (towards the colder regions), even those winters were too cold for it.
© Greffeur d’agrumes 2026 – greffeurdagrumes.com
In short
For a “Reasonable” gardener (the cold of one winter in ten), this variety (hardiness −12 °C) survives without protection in 42.6% of the municipalities of mainland France, with a winter fleece in 35.7%, and should be grown in a pot in 21.8%.
It survives without protection in most municipalities of: Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Normandy, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. And in part of the municipalities of: Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France.
A “Cautious” gardener (the worst winter of the last 30 years) will see it survive without protection in 20.3% of municipalities; a “Bold” one (the coldest of the last 5 winters) in 90.6%, at the risk of a harsh winter damaging it.
Details: 30 large cities and frequently asked questions
| City | Cautious | Reasonable | Bold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | −12 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection | −5 °C – without protection |
| Marseille | −10 °C – without protection | −8 °C – without protection | −5 °C – without protection |
| Lyon | −14 °C – with a fleece | −11 °C – without protection | −8 °C – without protection |
| Toulouse | −12 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection |
| Nice | −5 °C – without protection | −4 °C – without protection | −1 °C – without protection |
| Nantes | −11 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection | −7 °C – without protection |
| Montpellier | −10 °C – without protection | −8 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection |
| Strasbourg | −14 °C – with a fleece | −13 °C – with a fleece | −9 °C – without protection |
| Bordeaux | −9 °C – without protection | −8 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection |
| Lille | −13 °C – with a fleece | −12 °C – without protection | −8 °C – without protection |
| Rennes | −10 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection |
| Reims | −16 °C – in a pot | −13 °C – with a fleece | −11 °C – without protection |
| Toulon | −3 °C – without protection | −3 °C – without protection | −3 °C – without protection |
| Saint-Étienne | −17 °C – in a pot | −15 °C – with a fleece | −10 °C – without protection |
| Le Havre | −11 °C – without protection | −7 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection |
| Grenoble | −19 °C – in a pot | −17 °C – in a pot | −12 °C – without protection |
| Dijon | −19 °C – in a pot | −15 °C – with a fleece | −8 °C – without protection |
| Angers | −12 °C – without protection | −11 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection |
| Nîmes | −8 °C – without protection | −7 °C – without protection | −4 °C – without protection |
| Clermont-Ferrand | −18 °C – in a pot | −15 °C – with a fleece | −12 °C – without protection |
| Aix-en-Provence | −11 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection |
| Brest | −7 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection | −4 °C – without protection |
| Tours | −14 °C – with a fleece | −12 °C – without protection | −7 °C – without protection |
| Limoges | −15 °C – with a fleece | −11 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection |
| Perpignan | −6 °C – without protection | −6 °C – without protection | −4 °C – without protection |
| Metz | −16 °C – in a pot | −15 °C – with a fleece | −11 °C – without protection |
| Besançon | −18 °C – in a pot | −16 °C – in a pot | −11 °C – without protection |
| Orléans | −14 °C – with a fleece | −14 °C – with a fleece | −10 °C – without protection |
| Pau | −11 °C – without protection | −9 °C – without protection | −8 °C – without protection |
| La Rochelle | −9 °C – without protection | −7 °C – without protection | −7 °C – without protection |
Frequently asked questions
Can Ambersweet survive winter in the ground in Paris?
In Paris, the cold used is −12 °C for a cautious gardener, −9 °C one winter in ten and −5 °C for a bold one. With a hardiness of −12 °C, Ambersweet is: without protection (Cautious), without protection (Reasonable), without protection (Bold).
Can Ambersweet survive winter in the ground in Lyon?
In Lyon, the cold used is −14 °C for a cautious gardener, −11 °C one winter in ten and −8 °C for a bold one. With a hardiness of −12 °C, Ambersweet is: with a fleece (Cautious), without protection (Reasonable), without protection (Bold).
Where can Ambersweet be planted in the ground without protection?
It survives without protection in most municipalities of: Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie, Normandy, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. And in part of the municipalities of: Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France. Look up your municipality on the map above.
Does Ambersweet need a winter fleece?
For the Reasonable profile, a fleece is enough in 35.7% 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
Ambersweet is a complex hybrid selected for orange-like uses, both fresh and juiced.
- See the page “Ambersweet – Mandarin hybrid”
- Department where it does best without protection: Agrumes en pleine terre en Charente-Maritime (17) : lesquels résistent ?
- The cold map of France: Cold map of France: what frost risk for your citrus trees?
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.