Succulents & Cacti

How to choose succulents and cacti

Start with the job, because this range covers everything from flat carpets to a small tree. For spilling over walls and clothing hot banks, look to the trailing senecios and ice plants. For pots and rockery pockets, the rosette formers: echeverias, haworthias and compact agaves such as 'Blue Glow' at 45cm. For real structure, step up to columnar euphorbias at 2m to 3m or the Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco), which builds to about 4m over 10 to 15 years.

Speed is the honest trade-off. A Golden Barrel Cactus takes decades to reach 60cm, which is why advanced specimens cost more than a shrub of the same size. Buy the biggest you can afford where structure matters, and buy small everywhere else.

Where succulents and cacti thrive

Dry-summer regions are home ground: inland and semi arid districts, Perth and Adelaide, and warm temperate coastal gardens. Most also handle Brisbane's subtropical humidity if drainage is sharp, and about half this range shrugs off salt spray, which makes these natural picks for seaside beds and rockery plantings. Frost is the limit. Many tolerate a light frost only, so in cold districts keep the tender types, jade and golden barrel among them, in pots that winter under the eaves. For the most punishing positions, start with our succulents chosen for hot climates.

Planting and spacing

Drainage decides everything. In heavy soil, plant on a mound or raised bed 20cm to 30cm above grade, into a gritty free draining mix. Space Blue Chalk Sticks at 40cm centres for a solid blue carpet and 'Blue Glow' agaves at 600mm for a massed display. Give every agave room to reach its full spread without leaning over a path, and keep the fiercely spined golden barrels at least a metre back from anywhere people walk. Finish with gravel mulch rather than bark, kept clear of the stems.

Watering, feeding and winter care

Water deeply, then let the mix dry out completely before watering again. Established plants in the ground mostly live on rain outside the hottest months. Cut water right back once nights cool, because cold wet roots kill far more succulents than cold air does. A half strength, low nitrogen feed in spring is plenty. For planting combinations, our agave garden ideas guide is a good starting point.

Common questions

Can succulents handle humid summers?

Most can. The bulk of this range is happy in subtropical gardens provided water drains away fast and air moves freely around the plants. Smooth leaved types cope better than furry or powdery coated ones, which can mark and rot through weeks of summer rain.

Will succulents survive frost?

Roughly half this range tolerates a light frost; hard freezes are another matter. In cold inland or southern gardens, grow the borderline types in pots and shift them under cover for winter, or plant against a north facing wall that holds the day's warmth.

How often should I water a succulent in a pot?

Only when the mix is bone dry. In a hot summer that can mean weekly; in winter it can stretch past a month. Leaves that wrinkle slightly are asking for a drink, leaves turning soft and translucent have had too much.

Are succulents and cacti safe for pets?

Treat them with the same caution as any ornamental. Several common types, including jade plants and kalanchoes, are toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, and euphorbia sap irritates skin and eyes. Assume nothing here is pet safe unless its product page carries our Pet Friendly flag.