We often receive questions on which cacti and other desert plants can survive cold weather.

Most succulents such as agaves, cacti, and yucca are mostly frost-sensitive. They mainly adapted to survive the warm and dry conditions of the desert, for example, by preserving water in their body tissue. However, when temperatures drop below freezing temperatures (32 degrees Fahrenheit), the preserved water within the cells can freeze and cause frost damage to the plant.

However, some cacti can tolerate short periods of frost, especially those that are from mountainous and upper elevation regions. These include the barrel cactus that live naturally in the foothills in the Coachella Valley as well as the San Pedro cactus from the Andes Mountains.

Below is a list of desert plants that are frost tolerant.

* It is important to note that cold weather is still not favorable to these plants, so ideally, they should be protected when the temperatures dip below 25 degrees. Some examples are moving them indoors or to a greenhouse or protecting them with a blanket.

Frost tolerant succulents

Agaves: Americana, Black-spined, Blue Glow, Desmetiana, Dyckia, Lechuguilla, Lopantha, MacDougall’s Century Plant, Mangave, Montana, Queen Victoria, Sawtooth, Sharkskin, Truncata, Whale Tongue, Weberi

Aloes: Blue Elf, Ferox, Striata

Cacti: Opuntia, Barrel, Hedgehog, San Pedro, Old Man, Cholla

Euphorbias: Candelilla, Gopher Spurge, Moroccan Mound

Yuccas: Aloifolia, Elephantipes, Rostrata, Rigida

Other desert plants

Baja Fairy Duster, Brittlebush, Cape Rush, Carissa, Cleveland Sage, Creosote, Desert Spoon, Firecracker Bush, Feathery/Grey Cassia, Flax Lily, Hopseed Bush, Lantana, Little Johns, Mexican Grass Tree, Mexican Sage, Milkweed, Nandina, Ocotillo, Oleander, Pink Lady, Privet, Red Bird of Paradise, Red Yucca, Rosemary, Silver Knapweed, Society Garlic, Tecoma, Texas Ranger, Xylosma, Yellow Bird of Paradise