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Agaves and hardy succulents for the hottest, driest corner of a UK garden. Architectural rosettes for gravel beds, sunny borders and big containers. Hardiness runs from tough H5 yuccas down to tender aeoniums that winter indoors, and every plant states its band. Every dispatch protected by our live arrival guarantee.
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It depends on the plant, and the honest answer for this range is that hardiness varies a lot. The toughest here are the yuccas. Yucca filamentosa and Yucca 'Ivory Tower' are both rated RHS H5, so they can go in the ground and stay there. Orostachys iwarenge 'Chinese Hat' sits at H4. A middle group rated H3, which includes Agave stricta 'Nana', Puya chilensis, Fascicularia bicolor and Aeonium arboreum 'Velours', wants a sheltered spot or a pot you can move. The rest of the aeoniums and Oscularia deltoides are H2 or H1c and need a frost free winter under cover. Every listing states its own RHS band, so check it before you decide where a plant is going. For a fuller picture of how these plants behave through a British year, read our guide to what to expect from hardy exotics through the seasons.
Cold is rarely what kills them. Winter wet is. A rosette sitting in soggy soil rots at the neck long before frost does any real damage, which is why drainage matters more than a mild garden does. Grit in the planting hole, a gravel mulch under the leaves and a pot that never stands in a saucer will carry a surprising number of these plants through a British winter. Prolonged rain and cold wind do more harm than a short freeze.
These are the plants for a gravel garden, a hot dry border or a large container on a paved terrace. In the ground, work plenty of grit through the soil, plant slightly proud so water runs away from the neck, and finish with a gravel mulch. In a pot, a single agave or a mature aeonium reads as a piece of sculpture on its own, and the free draining conditions a container gives are exactly what these plants want. They also forgive a missed watering better than almost anything else, which makes them a sensible choice for a city courtyard or a balcony. One strong shape repeated will always read better than several competing ones.
Browse the wider Outdoor Plants range for everything that grows outside with us. For companions in the same conditions, see Plants for Dry & Gravel Gardens and Ornamental Grasses, both of which sit happily in the same gritty soil. If you already know the plant you are after, go straight to Agave, Yucca or Aeonium. And for the sunniest positions across the whole outdoor range, Plants for Full Sun gathers everything that wants a south facing spot. Every dispatch is protected by our live arrival guarantee.
Some are surprisingly hardy, coping with frost as long as they stay dry, while others are tender and best moved under cover in winter. Wet is more dangerous than cold, so sharp drainage is the key. Each plant is labelled with its hardiness.
Yes, pots suit them perfectly, providing the sharp drainage they love and making them easy to move under cover in winter. Use a gritty, free-draining compost and water sparingly, letting the compost dry out between waterings.
Far less than most plants. Through summer, water only when the soil has dried out, and in winter keep them almost dry, especially if they are outdoors. Overwatering and winter wet are the main causes of problems.
Very free-draining soil is essential. In the ground, dig in plenty of grit and add a gravel mulch around the neck of the plant. In pots, use a gritty, open compost so water drains away quickly.
Hardy types mainly need to be kept dry rather than warm, so a rain shelter or raising pots off the ground helps. More tender succulents should be moved into a frost-free greenhouse, porch or windowsill over winter.
Bold rosettes, sculptural silhouettes and silver or blue green tones give a hot, dry, Mediterranean feel to a garden that never gets Mediterranean weather. That contrast is the whole point of the style. Set against a plain wall, a run of paving or a bed of pale gravel, one well placed agave does more work than a border full of flowers.
A single specimen in a good container is a ready made sculpture for a doorstep, terrace or balcony. Scale matters more than quantity here. One large pot at the right height reads far better than a cluster of small ones. If you do group them, use odd numbers and vary the height rather than the shape.
These plants look best next to something that moves. Ornamental grasses give the softness that spiky rosettes lack, and low mat forming succulents such as Oscularia deltoides fill the gravel between larger specimens. Fascicularia bicolor and Puya chilensis add a wilder, more bromeliad like texture if you want the planting to feel less formal and more collected.
Front gardens, hot corners against a south facing wall, roof terraces, and any spot too dry and bright for conventional planting. It is also a good answer for a garden nobody has time to water. Hardiness, drainage and winter care are covered in the guide further up this page.
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