13 hardy succulents for the outdoors

Succulents and cacti really can withstand anything. As well as withstanding heatwaves and drought, they can brave the cold. The Monstera app reveals thirteen varieties of hardy succulents that can make it through even the most polar winter outdoors.

The hundreds of silk threads that cover spider's web houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum) help it fight drought. They help retain moisture. However, the plant needs no artifice to resist the cold. This succulent is hardy down to -30°C.

Spider's web houseleek is satisfied with very little. You can plant it in the ground or in pots. It will also do well on your roof or in the cracks of a low wall. But it's a loner. Avoid combining it with more vigorous species, which may take over.

In its native Mongolia, the Orostachys spinosa spends the winter under the ice, in a cold that can exceed -30°C. Unless you live on Hoth or the Land of Shadows, the plant's gray-green globular rosettes should thrive in your garden.

Orostachys spinosa is a monocarpic fat plant. It dies after flowering. But it will have taken care to multiply beforehand, developing numerous offshoots. You can leave them in the ground to renew your specimen, or remove them to plant elsewhere.

As its name suggests, mountain agave is a high-altitude plant. A good mountain plant, it is not afraid of the cold weather. Its rosette of bright green leaves can withstand dry cold and sub-zero temperatures down to -20°C.

Agavea montana is prone to rot when in contact with soil. When planting in pots or in the ground, do not bury the collar. Instead, raise it two to three centimetres above ground level.

A small succulent with a bushy habit and grey-green foliage, Hesperaloe parviflora 'Rubra' is most noticeable in summer. Red flowers bloom at the top of a long, purple floral spike. In winter, it's another of its qualities that earns it the admiration of gardeners: the plant proves to be very hardy, withstanding -18°C.

Red Yucca is easy to grow and virtually maintenance-free. The plant needs neither watering nor protection from the cold. Just cut off the flower stalks at the end of summer, once the flowers have faded.

When you think of Texas, you think more of an arid desert than a snowstorm. And yet, on blizzard days, temperatures can dip below -10°C. Nothing to scare off the Dasylirion texanum. Hardy down to -18°C, it retains its spiny, feather-tipped leaves even when the cold is record-breaking in Dallas.

Like most succulents, the Texas Sotol needs very little water. Watering is only necessary in dry periods, and directly into the soil at the base of the plant. Watering the leaves is useless. The dense foliage retains all the water, which never reaches the roots.

It's hard not to notice the foliage of the Yucca filamentosa! The blue-green blades are 75 centimetres long. Sometimes margined with yellow or veined with cream, they have wiry edges and a sharp apex.

Your Yucca filamentosa needs dry soil towithstand temperatures as low as -18°C. If you live in an area with wet winters, plant it in a pot and shelter it from showers. If you're planting it in the ground, place it at the top of an embankment.

I'm sure the reason Sedum dasyphyllum's leaves are so tightly packed together is to keep warm. True, the foliage turns from blue-green to purple when it's cold. But the limbs persist all winter long, even when the mercury hovers around -15°C.

In drier regions, you'll probably need to water your thick-leaved orbit from time to time. Count on watering once a week in summer and once a month in winter if it doesn't rain.

The first thing that strikes you about Corsican spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) is its blue-green leaves and, in spring, its chartreuse-green flowers. A closer look at the succulent plant reveals a mesmerizing movement of foliage. The triangular limbs form a spiral worthy of a Vasarely painting.

Less fragile than a work of art, the plant can brave the cold, down to -15°C. It can also withstand sea spray. So you can plant it outdoors if you live by the sea, on the Ile de Beauté or elsewhere.

The light-green snowshoes and blond thorns of Opuntia engelmannii are not afraid of heat, lack of water or cold. This variety of prickly pear ishardy down to -15°C.

The plant thrives in light, well-drained soil. Is your soil rich, heavy or clayey? You can amend it by adding sand and gravel, or opt for planting in pots. But you'll need to think big! This cactus can reach a metre in spread.

Perennial purslane forms a carpet of succulent green leaves. And every year, from late spring onwards, it is adorned with violet or pink flowers with white centers. Although the first frosts signal the end of flowering, the plant retains its foliage. It can withstand temperatures as low as -15°C.

Once established, Delesporma lavisiae requires no maintenance. However, you will need to water it during the first year, to encourage recovery. In autumn, you should also remove any leaves and wilted flowers that stagnate at the foot of the plant. They bring moisture and rot the foliage.

Among plants, the most resistant are not always the biggest. Crassula sarcocaulis is at best 30 centimetres high and has a 20 cm wingspan. But it can withstand temperatures close to -15°C.

With its shrubby, bonsai-like habit, Crassula sarcocaulis is often grown in pots. For it to flourish, plant it in a light, draining substrate. You can, for example, mix garden soil with gravel or choose potting soil for cacti and succulents.

Aloe aristata grows to no more than 30 centimetres in all directions at maturity. If the plant gets enough sun, in summer, the leaf blades turn red. In winter, it retains its green foliage spotted with white and survives temperatures down to -10°C.

Like many acacia succulents, aristaloe aristata is susceptible to rot when its center is in contact with the soil. Do you live in a region with rainy winters? Mulch the base with a mineral material. This will reduce soil moisture.

If graptopetalum paraguayense is nicknamed "the porcelain plant", it's not because of its white flowers adorned with red or its almost transparent celadon leaves. The plant's nickname comes from the fragility of its foliage. The bloom-covered leaf blades detach from the rosette as soon as you touch them. On the other hand, the plant can stand the cold. Its hardiness is less impressive than that of the other plants in this selection, but it can remain outside without protection as long as the thermometer doesn't fall below -10°C.

Both indoors and outdoors, most succulents require sunny exposure. Graptopetalum paraguayense, on the other hand, does equally well in sun or semi-shade.