Succulents overwintering on our front porch

Many succulents don’t handle freezing temperatures very well. Fortunately, our nighttime temperatures are still in the 40s so I haven’t had to worry about frost protection. However, rain at this time of year can be just as detrimental, especially if it continues over an extended period. Succulents sitting in cold, soggy soil are particularly susceptible to root and crown root, which often proves fatal. To avoid this, I try to keep most of my potted succulents as dry as possible.

Last month I built a new rain shelter attached to the front porch but it isn’t big enough to protect all my potted specimens. Many succulents permanently live on our front porch where they are naturally sheltered from the rain. This winter they are sharing their quarters with dozens of other potted plants which I moved there from other spots around the yard. And things are getting a bit crammed, as you can see from the photos below. “The more, the merrier” definitely applies!

Front porch as seen from the lawn

Front porch as seen from the dining room

Plant rack in the corner

The bistro table is home to a bunch of cacti

Agaves and cacti in a corner of the front porch

A few split rock plants

Another view of the table…

…and the plants now overwintering on the porch

Deep nursery trays…

…holding agaves…

…and a Tephrocactus articulatus (top left)…

…and an Aloe capitata var. quartziticola (lower right)

A few more succulents are on the edge of the porch, still protected by the deep overhang

These plants are out in the open for now, but they can be brought under cover at a moment’s notice. The dolly holds a large pot with different succulents that had been on top of the fence where I put up the rain shelter (you can see it in the photo above). The container had to be taken down to make room for the tarp.