Can Succulents Survive The Winter? Tips For Protecting Your Succulent

Whether you love your succulents year-round or are just starting out growing them, you may have questions about how best to protect your prized plants during cold weather. After reading this article you'll know exactly how to care for your succulent plants through the winter months.

Succulents are a popular plant that many people nowadays love to own. They add color and liveliness to any space and are usually easy to care for. However, most people like to have succulents inside their homes, so what if you want to keep them outside year-round? Can succulents survive the harshness of winter months and, if so, how can you help them? 

People like succulents for their hardy nature, making them easy to care for; but this hardiness also allows them to withstand extremely cold climates and winter conditions. Sempervivum, Hardy Sedum, and Hardy Opuntia are great succulent genera for surviving tough winters. To help, water them sparingly, keep them dry, and place them in a sunny spot. 

If you want to spruce up your outdoor garden with some charming succulents, but you live somewhere with cold, harsh winters, don’t worry. We can tell you exactly which succulents are best equipped to survive these conditions and which to keep inside. We’ll also supply lifesaving and sustaining tips to ensure your winter-bearing succulents survive to see spring. 

Can Succulents Survive the Winter?

Yes. Many, but not all, succulents can survive throughout winter. When one hears the word “succulent,” they usually think of the spiky little plants found spotting the dry, arid terrain of deserts or semi-deserts. 

This gives people the misconception that these plants only thrive in really barren and hot environments when, in reality, deserts can plummet to temperatures of about 25°F (-3.9°C ) or colder, which is comparable to the average temperature in various U.S. states throughout winter. 

While the average nightly temperature varies depending on the region, these conditions mean that many succulent species have learned how to adapt to extreme temperatures on both sides of the spectrum. 

While some succulents can withstand extremely cold climates, others simply die when the temperature is too low.

Now, some of you might be thinking that with winter comes snow, and the days don’t heat up drastically like they do in the desert. A succulent has to be able to survive winter conditions for months versus the handful of hours until a desert sunrise. But a cold-hardy succulent won’t find either to be an issue. 

Succulents are extremely hardy plants, and many can easily endure being outside in the winter elements for months, especially with some help from you. Species found naturally in the desert, or even mountain ranges are no strangers to snowfall and prolonged cold. 

Therefore, if you’re seeking a succulent that can survive year-round, especially throughout winter, this largely depends on you planting the right one. 

Which Succulents Can Survive Winter and Which Should be Kept Inside?

While many succulents can hunker down, survive, and sometimes thrive throughout the winter months due to their origins in deserts or mountains with extreme conditions, many are also from rain forests and will struggle immensely in these conditions. 

Therefore, it is important to know which succulents can handle the winter months with ease and which ones you are better off keeping indoors. 

Succulents That Can Survive the Winter

There is a vast list of succulent species and/or genus that will embrace the challenges of winter with open arms and can even do so looking as vibrant and beautiful as a rose blooming in spring. The catch is knowing which ones are capable of this and which will perish under the pressure. 

To help, we’ve compiled a list below of the succulents that are best equipped for surviving harsh winter months and will likely thrive year-round. The majority of them fall under three genus: Sempervivum, Hardy Sedum, and Hardy Opuntia.

GenusOptimal temperaturesSpecies
SempervivumAs low as – 30 degrees FahrenheitSempervivum heuffelii (aka. Purple Haze or Job’s Beard)Sempervivum red lionSempervivum mahoganySempervivum calcareumSempervivum cobweb
Hardy SedumAs low as -20 to -40 degrees FahrenheitSedum Dasyphyllum MajorSedum Golden MossDragon’s Blood SedumCape Blanco Sedum
Hardy OpuntiasAs low as -35 degrees FahrenheitEastern prickly-pear cactusBrittle prickly-pear cactusPlains prickly-pear cactus
Other(Includes cacti of the following families:Echinocereus, Ferocactus, Echinopsis, and Mammillaria)Varies depending on cactus and family, but all are considered cold hardyBeehive or Pincushion cactusClaret cup or Hedgehog cactusChollaPineapple cactusOld Man cactusOrange Snowball cactusBarrel cactus

For most regions, you can’t go wrong choosing one of the succulents listed above if you’re looking for one that will last through the winter. All you need to do is research them, choose one you can afford, and give proper care and that has your ideal aesthetic.

Succulents That Can’t Survive Winter

Some succulents can undoubtedly survive the bitter cold and inches of snow that come with winter, but some will suffer greatly and likely succumb to these conditions. 

Like we mentioned previously, there are a decent number of succulents that feel most at home in the heat and moist conditions of the rain forest, and so, many can’t even survive moderately cold temperatures for two or three nights, let alone months of winter. 

These are the plants that you really need to keep inside and manage their conditions if you want to ensure their survival. 

While we won’t supply a list as extensive as the one detailed above, we can tell you that, for the most part, if a succulent is part of one of the following genus, it isn’t cold-hardy and shouldn’t be left outside in the winter or cold fall months for some regions. 

  • Echeverias: ideal temperature range= 65 to 70 °F, low of 50°F in winter
  • Aeoniums: ideal temperature range= 40 to 100 °F
  • Haworthias: ideal temperature range= 75 to 90°F
  • Most Aloes: ideal temperature range= 55 and 80°F
Haworthia is one of the succulents that cannot survive cold winters.

You should always check the growing zone of your residence in the USDA hardiness map before planting these succulents outdoors if you feel you have the optimal external conditions. It will match your zip code to its planting zone and provide information vital to plant survival. Checking this before planting cold-hardy succulents or any plant, in general, is always a good idea. 

Tips for Protecting Your Succulent in the Winter

Alright, so you know now which succulent can survive the winter months best, but that doesn’t mean the plan of action should be to plant them outside and leave them to fend for themselves. 

Taking proper care of your succulents is key to growing healthy plants.

You still need to provide your succulent with optimal care while they are surviving outdoors, especially if you live in a region with particularly harsh winters, such as Marquette, Michigan, Buffalo, New York, Caribou, Maine, and frankly, anywhere in Alaska. 

Here are our best tips for protecting your succulent in the winter, so you can give your beloved plants their best chance when braving these difficult months.

Provide Your Succulent with Minimal Water During Winter Months

When winter comes around, you don’t want to overwater your succulents with the assumption they’re dehydrating without rain. 

These plants are extremely hardy and used to surviving with minimal water, so you should only water them when there are prolonged periods without snow and you notice your succulent surrounding dirt is extremely dry. 

Even then, you want to water them sparingly and only provide enough to prevent dehydration. Odds are, it will snow at some point, and when it does, the snow will melt and provide water to your succulent, maybe even too much water. 

This is why it is important to research the succulents you want to plant outdoors and ensure their needs and optimal environment match where you live. You should also know if your succulent is dormant or active during the winter, as an active succulent will require more water and care. 

Plant Them In a Sunny Location

The number of daylight hours decreases significantly during the winter months, so you’ll want to make sure your succulent is planted somewhere it can obtain sufficient amounts of sunlight in the limited time it has daily. 

Position your succulent so that it gets sufficient sunlight to survive winter.

Be conscious of what kind of succulent you have and how it prefers to obtain sunlight. Some can sit in direct sunlight for hours and thrive, while others prefer indirect sunlight and should be planted accordingly. 

Keep Your Succulent Dry

One rule of thumb that applies to essentially all succulents is that they don’t need mass amounts of water to stay alive. The plant is very good at reserving and efficiently using any small amounts of water it can acquire, which is why winter can sometimes pose a life-threatening challenge to even the cold-hardiest of succulents. 

There are few cities and even fewer states in the U.S. that don’t receive any precipitation during their winter months. Mass amounts of snow can be dangerous for your succulents, especially when it starts to melt, as the risk of overwatering increases drastically. 

To prevent this, you’re biggest priority during the winter months is to keep your succulent dry. A good way to do this is to actually keep it in a pot with drainage holes instead of burying it directly in the ground and filling the pot with a fast-draining, gritty mix.

The pot will give you more control over your succulent’s condition, and the mix will prevent the soil around your succulent from retaining too much moisture from snowfall or occasional rain. 

Know When to Quit

If you’ve chosen one of the succulents from the provided chart, odds are it will survive just fine during the winter, as long as it gets the right amount of sunlight, water and is kept dry. 

However, winters can be unpredictable, and you might find your succulent is struggling more than usual. In these cases, it’s best for the plant’s health and longevity to bring it inside. 

If you notice clear signs of frost damage or other ailments, you don’t want to wait and see if your succulent can stick it out for the remaining days, weeks, or months you might have left in winter. Instead, carefully transition it indoors, restore it back to health, and keep it inside for as long as necessary.

Final Thoughts

Gardeners and succulent enthusiasts living in colder regions will be ecstatic to know that having a succulent garden outdoors that will survive the winter is indeed possible. There are countless beautiful and cold-hardy options to choose from, but the most important element here is you. 

While your cold-hardy succulent has the basic tools to survive harsh winters, it’s still going to need your help. Research the plant and make sure it’s a good fit for the region where you live and provide it with all of the life-sustaining elements it needs. If winter is being uncharacteristically brutal, there’s nothing wrong with bringing these plants indoors until more optimal conditions arrive. 

Last update on 2022-12-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

read this next

In this post i am going to be giving you a few tips on how to make your cactus grow faster. We all love our cactus and we want them get bigger and reach their full potential. But often times they get pretty tall and get plenty of light but never get any bigger then the size of a pencil. So if you have a cactus that has been growing slowly, here are a couple tricks you can do for it to get a little bigger.
One of the most important things you need to do to achieve better results is to find the best soil for your plant. Good cactus soil needs to drain quickly while holding on to the right amount of moisture to nourish the plant when need be
Lithops, also known as living stones, are a fascinating group of plants with flat, leafy faces. It is very important when caring for your lithops that you keep them completely dry. Other than watering, they require no maintenance and rarely even flower! This article will tell you all about the fascinating plant and how to grow it.
You’ve likely seen Sansevieria in homes and offices across the country, and thinking about buying one to add to your space. They’re beautiful, simple, and ancient – but what do you do with them? How do you care for it? We are here to help!
The Christmas cactus is a popular holiday flowering plant, but it can be difficult to keep alive in household conditions. Many people don’t even know how often to water Christmas cactus, but the answer is surprisingly simple. Here’s how to keep your Christmas cactus healthy year-round.
Most varieties of palm prefer to receive full sunlight throughout the day, but the Madagascar palm is slightly different. While one of its care requirements includes plenty of bright, indirect sunlight (it can’t tolerate direct sunlight for long stretches), it adapts well to semi-shaded environments. If you find that your plant does not seem to be thriving in an area that receives little or no direct sunlight, you should move it to a brighter location.
Aloe vera is one of the best plants you can grow to help maintain your health and wellness. It is easy to care for, propagates quickly, and will thrive in a variety of conditions. As a succulent enthusiast, it is important that you learn how to care for aloe vera properly so that you can use its health benefits whenever needed.
Buddha’s Temple is a succulent that can make wonderful use of neglect. If you do not need to water it that often, be sure to water the plant when it looks like it needs it most! If you notice the tips of your Buddha Temple are turning brown, then this is a sign that your plant may be not receiving enough water.
Tired of having the same succulent displayed at your home? Filed under one of the best low-maintenance plants for your home, this Kalanchoe shows off its deep green, scalloped leaves that are just as beautiful as its flowers.
Cactus pear: Just the word inspires intrigue. These unique fruits come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Although they’re a bit strange, they’re also delicious and full of surprising health benefits! If you are still unsure why people love the plant so much, here are 8 exciting facts about Cactus Pear.
Monkey tail cactus grow a long cylindrical stem. This stem is covered with thick spines that curve downwards, and make the cacti look a bit like a squiggly tail. The spines are brown and may have a hint of red. Flowers can be creamy to yellow in color, with a red center
Succulents seem like they would be easy-care plants, but some of the most common care mistakes can cause your beloved succulent to lose all signs of life. Here are some easy-to-spot symptoms that could mean your plant is dying and what to do next.

Receive the latest news

Get Our Cacti Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest facts, tips, advice, and more!

Your privacy is important to us.