What Succulents Can Survive Winter

 

Many people think that succulents can only grow in warm climates. This is an easy mistake to make considering that they grow naturally in dry and arid conditions, such as in deserts and mountain ranges.

This may be true for some succulents, but there are many that can survive the cold temperatures of winter. This means you can grow them outside all year round, should you want them in your garden rather than indoors.

Here are some great succulents that can survive winter.

Queen Victoria Agave

The Queen Victoria Agave loves full sun during summer and winter. When the temperature drops, it can survive at just 10 degrees. Ensure that it’s kept in the sun as much as possible to maintain its tight rosette shape.

The Queen Victoria Agave tolerates drought too and requires little care. When bloomed, this plant produces delicate, cream flowers - not quite what you’d expect from something that tolerates harsh weather.

Hens And Chicks

This succulent seems to be on every type of succulent list. Most of the ever-popular Hens and Chicks species are all winter hardy. Incredibly, many of them can tolerate temperatures as low as -30 degrees.

This succulent can grow in either full sun or in the shade, so it doesn’t matter where you place it in the garden. The main thing you need to ensure is that it has good drainage to prevent overwatering and rot.

Pink Ice Plant

This suitably named succulent can grow up to one foot high, but its stems can span between two and three feet wide. The Pink Ice Plant has very distinct leaves, laden with red teeth along the margins that are remarkable to look at. It’ll even flower in late spring.

While this succulent can survive winter, it’s much happier when it’s protected from frost. Cover it with a frost cloth and keep close to a wall or fence if possible.

Chinese Dunce Cap

Having a Chinese Dunce Cap is like having three plants at once. It starts as a dense spread mat, before bursting into an array of silver and lavender spires that will continue to grow up to six inches tall during summer and fall.

One of its best features is that it has a great tolerance to colder temperatures. Having said that, this succulent dies after blooming. However, it’s very easy to propagate and even creates its own offsets, so you won’t be disappointed when the mother plant eventually dies.

Blue Elf 

The Blue Elf succulent is an excellent all-round plant that can tolerate many different conditions. When fully matured, the Blue Elf can grow up to 19 inches tall and up to two feet wide. 

If you happen to live nearby to any hummingbirds, you may find your garden become a hotspot for them. They bloom a stunning orange flower in the winter that lasts through to early spring.

Parry’s Agave 

Parry’s Agave is very sought-after thanks to its highly prized rosette formation. It has beautiful blue, gray leaves, tipped with maroon that seem to pop out at you during the bleak weather.

Parry’s Agave can tolerate temperatures as low as zero degrees and produces a tall stalk blooming with yellow flowers at maturity. It will die after blooming but it’s easy to propagate, either via offsets or seeds.

Bronze Carpet

The Bronze Carpet succulent makes for an ideal border plant. It can grow as high as six inches tall and can spread up to 24 inches wide, so it’s perfect for filling any gaps in your arrangement. It’s mainly green with red edges, but takes on a bronze color as the seasons change. It will even bloom with pink flowers in the spring.

And, of course, it’s winter hardy.

Blue Spruce

This final succulent has a furry, fern-like structure that changes color over the course of the year. You could even say it knows itself when the winter months will start to roll in.

During spring and summer, the leaves look almost lime green. When temperatures drop, it starts to turn bronze or even gold. It won’t always flower, but when it does, it’s in the spring and they’ll be bright yellow.