Protecting My Succulents in Winter

El Paso is not normally subjected to bitter cold temperatures, but the thermometer does dip below freezing on many nights throughout the winter, posing a real threat to frost-tender succulents. This season, to protect my collection, I built a simple lean-to greenhouse made of PVC pipes, plastic sheeting, and duct tape, with inexpensive clamp lamps providing light and warmth.

The plastic sheeting has some slits and windows cut into it, reinforced with the tape to prevent rips from occurring and to help with air circulation on relatively mild days. In the picture below, a large Kalanchoe luciae (Paddle Plant) can be seen through the translucent plastic. A cold hardy Echinopsis sits outside of the greenhouse.

A peek inside reveals that wooden planks supported by cinder blocks help to create simple shelves upon which the planters sit comfortably. A myriad of succulents occupy various planters, most made of airy terracotta.

A clamp light such as those used in garages, shines from above in the picture below. In this picture, from mid-December, the growing flower stalks of Aloe plants can be seen (lower left). Some Aloe varieties flower in winter, such as the 'Blue Elf' variety here.

The Paddle Plant's flower stalk was severed as freezing temperatures arrived so that it would fit within the greenhouse. Plantlets continue to grow along the main stem which may not survive, despite cutting off the flower stalk before it reached its peak. The baby plants shown here, and many more around the bottom of the plant can be wiggled off and replanted.

Once temperatures are consistently above freezing, the makeshift greenhouse can be disassembled. The PVC pipe will be stored for next year, but the sheeting will be too worn to be reused. To date, every succulent has survived the winter, despite outdoor temperatures that have reached the low 20's at times.