Who is behind this site

About Léo

Hello,

My name is Léo, and this site is the logbook of an obsession: growing citrus where most manuals claim it is impossible.

A passionate amateur gardener of cold-hardy citrus, I have grown several varieties in the ground since 2018 on the Arcachon Bay, in USDA zone 8b, with fairly mild winters. This encyclopedia brings together what I learn season after season about cold-resistant citrus: real-world hardiness, growing practices, harvest, uses.

Why this encyclopedia?

There are thousands of French-language pages about citrus, but almost none are interested in the varieties that truly withstand frost. When I started planting trifoliate oranges, yuzus, finger limes and Ichang papedas, I had to do my research in English, in Italian, sometimes in Japanese. This site brings together what I have learned, in French, checked in the field when I can.

What I grow

My garden is on the Arcachon Bay, in USDA zone 8b, with fairly mild winters. Every winter I observe there:

The real-world hardiness of varieties (sometimes different from the theoretical figure).
Leaf damage, spring recovery, crop losses.
The effect of the rootstock on cold resistance and fruit quality.
Favorable microclimates (south-facing wall, mulch, winter frost cloth).

What you will find here

One profile per variety, documented in the same format: origin, tree description, fruit quality, flavor and ornamental interest, hardiness ratings, USDA zone, harvest period, uses. Plus a few background pages on citrus climate, history and cooking.

Editorial independence

I have no commercial ties with any nursery. No sponsored content. No advertising. If I recommend a rootstock or a variety, it is because it has proven itself in my garden or in the scientific literature I have consulted. The tone is educational, never commercial.

A personal site, updated season after season.

The experimental garden

Arcachon Bay · USDA zone 8b · Fairly mild winters

I grow, observe and harvest my citrus here, in the ground and in pots. These photos document my trials and my harvests in the conditions of the Arcachon Bay; they complement the documentary data in the profiles.

From blossoms to fruit, from harvest baskets to yuzu cake, here are a few scenes from my garden and my kitchen. Photographs: Léo.

The trees

Yuzu tree with dense foliage bearing many yellow fruits with uneven rinds, in the garden under an overcast sky. — **Yuzu**

Yuzu branches covered with white flowers and buds, against a blue sky and a tile roof. — **Yuzu**

Iwasaki Satsuma mandarin tree with young shoots and many white buds in front of the blue facade of the house. — **Iwasaki Satsuma Mandarin**

Yuzu N3 growing in the ground with green and yellow fruit and mulch at its base. — **Yuzu N3**

Navelina orange tree in a pot on a covered terrace, bearing several oranges among the foliage. — **Navelina Orange**

Orange-colored Orogros clementines on a clementine branch, beneath long green leaves. — **Orogros Clementine**

Yellow to orange Navelina oranges among the leaves, in the sun in front of a blue wall. — **Navelina Orange**

Yellow Meyer lemons on a branch held up by a wooden stake, with other fruit still green. — **Meyer Lemon**

Iwasaki Satsuma mandarins turning from green to yellow-orange, clustered on a branch. — **Iwasaki Satsuma Mandarin**

Close-up of green to yellow Ichang Lemon fruit among the branches and leaves of the tree. — **Ichang Lemon**

The harvests

Three baskets of yellow, orange and green fruit on a table with a checkered tablecloth, in the sun.

Wicker basket filled with small and large orange, yellow and green citrus fruit, some with their leaves.

Basket of yellow citrus with bumpy rinds on a table with a red tablecloth, with two fruits placed in front.

Yellow, green and orange citrus and feijoas arranged on a red striped tablecloth to compare their shapes.

Basket of yuzus and fruit spread out on labeled sheets: Meyer, Lemonade, Menton, US 119, satsuma, sudachi, Oro Gros and feijoa.

Two citrus fruits with bumpy rinds, still green in places, on a wooden board.

Citrus fruit cut in half on a wooden board, showing orange flesh and a rind that is still green.

Yuzu cake topped with yellow cream and green zest, on parchment paper.