34 List of Cold Hardy Succulents for a Beautiful Winter Garden [With Pictures]

Succulents are the classics in the Mediterranean garden. The easy-care and undemanding plants offer a wide range of design options thanks to their sometimes bizarre growth forms and enchanting flowers. Succulents have water-storing properties, which allows them to survive long dry phases without any problems.

Many succulents can only be kept as houseplants, as they are not hardy. Nevertheless, there are species that have good winter hardiness and can thus survive permanently in the garden. Here is a list of cold hardy succulents you can plant in your garden all year long.

Contents

1 What Makes Succulents
2 List of Cold Hardy Succulents

What Makes Succulents

In the case of succulent species, a distinction is made between leaf, stem and root succulents. While leaf succulents are particularly characterized by their thick, water-retaining leaves, stem succulents use thick shoots and the trunk as a water reservoir to survive drought. With root succulents, most of the plant body is in the ground. Succulents love a sunny and dry place.

Protection from winter wetness is essential despite the hardiness of winter. But which succulents are hardy plants?

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List of Cold Hardy Succulents

Agaves

Agaves stand out due to their imposing leaves with strong thorns. It can take a long time for them to bloom. The inflorescences, which can be several meters high, are all the more spectacular. They always form only one flower.

Agave havardiana

Very similar to Agave neomexicana
Leaves broader, larger and bluish-green
Leaf margins and tips thorny
Rosette diameter up to 70 cm
Inflorescence panicley, 200-400 cm high
Light green to yellow single flowers
Frost tolerance down to -18 degrees

Agave inaequidens

Kind that stays small
Defies temperatures down to -25 degrees
Forms large, compact rosettes
Diameter up to 100 cm
Broad, bluish leaves with thorny margins and tips
Flowers yellow-red

Agave neomexicana

Probably the hardiest of all agaves
Medium-sized, runners, blue-green rosettes
Rosette size up to 80 cm
Leaves bluish-gray, almost black thorns
Flowers only after several years
Blooms once and then dies
Frost tolerance down to minus 29 degrees

Agave ovatifolia

Forms large, dense rosettes
Diameter up to 120 cm
Leaves broad, elliptical to oval, gray to light blue
Leaf margins finely and irregularly serrated
Dark gray to black terminal spines
Straight to slightly curved, green-yellow inflorescences, up to 400 cm high
Can also cope with humid climates
Withstands frosts down to -20 degrees

Agave parryi

Slow growing variety
Grows individually or forms larger, compact groups
Spherical habit with a diameter of up to 80 cm
Leaves green to gray, smooth, stiff, curved upwards
Red-brown, fibrous leaf margins, finely serrated at the base
Yellow to orange inflorescences, up to 500 cm high
Irregular branches above
Withstands temperatures of -13 degrees

Agave parryi var. truncata

Most distinctive variety of ‘Agave parryi’
Compact growth
Bowl-shaped rosette with a diameter of 35 cm
Short, broad, bluish to silvery-gray leaves
Dark red to black teeth on the leaf margins and tip
Frost hardiness up to -10 degrees

Agave utahensis

Small, slow growing agave
Thick fleshy leaves with a light green color
Brownish thorns on leaf margins and tip
Particularly long at the top
Inflorescence paniculate or racemose, between 150 and 350 cm high
Yellow, cup-like, single flowers 25-30 mm long
Winter hardiness up to -20 degrees

Agave victoriae reginae

One of the most beautiful agaves
Dense rosette of numerous leaves
Leaves lush green with artistic, white markings
Pointed end thorn on each leaf
Flowering mostly only after decades
Inflorescence cream-colored, up to 400 cm high
Winter hardy succulents (down to -5 degrees)

Aloe (Aloe aristata)

Tolerates cold climate with temperatures down to -7 degrees
Reaches heights of 10 to 12 cm
Forms numerous offshoots
Over time, dense clumps of several rosettes
Leaves arranged in stemless, dense rosettes, curly
Small white spots on the top and bottom of the leaf
Typical thorns are missing
Instead, tiny white and soft teeth on the leaf margins

Pro Tip:

Temporary freezing temperatures are tolerated on very dry soil. If necessary, they should be cultivated in the container and protected accordingly.

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Cacti

From the group of cacti in particular stem succulents come. Here, too, there are some species that can tolerate frost. If your winters are mainly wet and humid, even hardy cacti have to be protected. This is mainly about rain protection.

Escobaria sneedii hybrid

Multi-sprouted, branched succulent plant
Small, spherical to cylindrical
Cushions in old age with up to 200 individual heads
Stems up to 7.5 cm high, densely covered with thorns
Diameter between 1.2 and 2.5 cm
Thorns white, often brown at the tip
Long, upright central spines
Radial, upright radial spines
Flowering period April to May
Flowers small, brownish-pink
Bears small fruits in October / November
Frost resistance very good

Pro Tip:

From April to October, this succulent plant appreciates some low-nitrogen cactus fertilizer.

Old Man of the Andes (Oreocereus celsianus)

Dark green columnar cactus with heights of up to 150 cm
Wrapped in a white fur
In between, long, yellowish thorns
Pink flowers in summer
Grow out sideways
At the end of summer, spherical fruits appear
Frost hardiness very good

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica)

Leaves are flattened, water-storing shoots to survive drought
Regularly branched shoots
With fine, standing, bristle-like thorns
Flowering time in summer
Lemon-yellow or pink-red flowers
Only flowers on the annual shoot
In autumn edible fruits, the prickly pears
Very good winter hardiness

Cane cholla (Cylindropuntia imbricata)

Tree-like growth up to 300 cm, fast-growing
Branches pointing upwards, diagonally apart
End links strongly humped
Thorns brown, up to 3 cm long
Blooms on the shoots in summer
Flowers dark pink to magenta in color
Hardy succulents up to -30 degrees

Ball cactus (Escobaria vivipara)

Small, maximum 10 cm high
Flat-spherical, white, short-thorn
Usually not sprouting
Flowers mostly pink
Requires cold weather for flower formation
Planting in the garden is therefore optimal
Tolerates a little more moisture than most species
Location protected from rain in winter

Pro Tip:

Due to its small size, you should pay attention to a location in the garden that cannot be overgrown or shaded by other plants.

Tulip prickly pear (Opuntia phaeacantha)

Forms medium-sized, disc-shaped shoots
Green to purple in color
Medium vigor, height 20-30 cm
Numerous dark thorns
Blooms from the second or third year
Dark fuchsia flowers in summer
Dark purple fruits in autumn
Winter hardiness down to -25 degrees

Midday flowers (Aizoaceae)

The ice plant is a succulent plant with magnificent ray flowers. The most common ones are orange to red, less often white flowers. In order to defy the winter in the garden, they should also be protected from too much winter moisture.

Cooper’s Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi)

Cushions forming, creeping, up to 15 cm high
Leaves dull green, thick, oblong
Flowering period June / July to October
Cup-like, pink ray-flowers
Similar claims to Sedum and Sempervivum
Provide shade during cold frosts
Otherwise good winter hardiness

Hardy Yellow Ice Plant (Delosperma nubigenum)

Ground cover for sunny locations
Not good in shade
Forms dense carpets
Growth height up to 10 cm
Leaves thick, lanceolate, medium green
Flowering period May to June
Flowers yellow, cup-like
Frost hardy to -20 degrees

Delosperma ‘Jewel of Desert Rosequartz’

Pretty ground cover for area greening
Leaves dull green, slightly rubbery, many branched
Flowering time from spring to the first frost
Flowers pink with a white center
Growth height up to 15 cm
Frost hardy to -15 degrees in protected locations

White Nugget ice plant (Delosperma basuticum)

Forms dense, flat, 10 cm high cushions
Leaves evergreen, oblong, medium green
Flowering time between April and July
Flowers white, radial or cup-like, mat-like
Withstands temperatures down to -15 degrees
In very cold climates, winter protection recommended

Sedum (stonecrop)

Hardy species of the stonecrop are often smaller. The flowers are in cymes, are star-shaped and usually five-pointed. The flower colors range from white to yellow and pink to chimney red.

Sedum cyaneum ‘Sachalin’

Extremely decorative and richly flowering variety
Compact, flat growth
Growth heights up to 10 cm
Leaves round to oval, thick-fleshed
Bright blue-gray with a hint of pink
Flowering period July to September
Flowers small, umbel-shaped, purple-red
Withstands temperatures of -17 degrees

Sedum kamtschaticum var. floriferum ‘Weihenstephaner Gold’

Widely used, well-known variety
Spreads like a carpet
Growth heights up to 20 cm
Leaves evergreen, tongue-shaped
Shoots brownish-red in winter
Flowering period July to August
Small, umbel-shaped, star-shaped, deep yellow flowers
Very adaptable, can also tolerate damp soil for a short time
Hardy to -23 degrees

Sedum acre

Very vigorous, quickly forms dense carpets
Flat growth, creeping, with heights up to 10 cm
Nice green-yellow foliage
Most intense in full sun and nutrient-poor soil
Dislikes the shade
Flowering period June to July
Flowers small, intense yellow, star-shaped and very numerous
Frost hardiness very good
Very suitable for small bowls

Sedum spurium

Colorful, lush, cushion-forming area cover
Heights up to 15 cm
Spread 20-30 cm
Leaves evergreen, oval, notched
Dark red, greenish in the middle
Flowering period July to August
Flowers small, umbel-shaped, bright crimson red
Has a good frost resistance

Pro Tip:

This succulent plant should be divided every two to three years and weak shoots and roots removed. This is supposed to improve the vigor of growth and flowering.

Sedum spurium ‘Tricolor’

Impresses with a striking leaf color
Leaves small, greenish-white-purple
Spreading to broadly spreading growth
Growth heights up to 10 cm
Flowering period July to September
Flowers star-shaped and pink
Hardy succulents to -22 degrees
We recommend 23-27 plants per square meter

White stonecrop ‘Chloroticum’

All year round, low cushions lying close to the floor
Outward appearance resembles small pearls
Growth height up to 15 cm
Leaves small, rounded, light green
Flowers appear from June to August
White star flowers arranged in umbels
Winter hardiness down to -23.3 degrees

Sempervivum (houseleek)

These outdoor succulents are very hardy. They tolerate extreme heat and severe frost. Houseleeks also feel most comfortable in full sun and sheltered locations. The only thing that can cause them problems is wet winters.