Will succulents grow in tropical climates like Hawaii and Florida?
You might assume so, considering succulents like the same conditions you do when on vacation: Plenty of sunshine, not too hot, breezy and balmy.
However, what succulents don't like is high rainfall and humidity, especially in summer. One reason they do so well in Southern CA is the region's dry summers and year-round aridity. Makes sense: It's the same where many come from (South Africa, the Canary Islands and Madagascar).
Senecio, aloe and Euphorbia milii in a Hawaii garden with red lava rock.
Certain highly desirable succulents like aeoniums, echeverias and cacti can rot in tropical climates. It's hard to give them the sun they need to thrive while also protecting them from downpours and dampness.
Yet other succulents say "Bring it on!" to moisture and rain any time of year, so long as temps stay above freezing. You'll find the best of these bathing beauties in the gallery below.
Checklist for success
This isn't to say that you can treat the moisture-tolerant succulents shown here as you would tropical plants. These succulents will still need:
- to be kept as dry as possible
- minimal watering or not at all when conditions are damp
- to be on a covered patio or beneath eaves
- half a day's sun
- frost protection
- gritty soil to enhance drainage
- a sloping location if in the ground
- no pot saucers.
Resources
Buy plants online
Hawaii (O'ahu)
Two succulent nurseries near Honolulu are Mari's Gardens and Once Again Hawaii
Videos
The Squish Test for Succulents (3:36) Even if soft and squishy means rot, it's not necessarily too late.
Why Succulents Rot and How to Prevent It (2:02) Roots that drown are consumed by bacteria and fungus...
Why Rain is Good for Potted Succulents (0:54) When rain is forecast, I move my potted succulents where...
Post-Rain Must-Do's for Succulent Gardens (3:51) I found a few things that needed taking care of and you likely will, too!
How to Plant a Tall Pot, Step-by-Step (3:45) Trailing cacti from South American rainforests are perfect for tall pots...
Gallery: Succulents for florida, hawaii, tropics
Adenium obesum
Agave attenuata (foxtail agave)
Agave bracteosa
Aloe arborescens
Aloe arborescens, variegated
Aloe ciliaris
Aloe dorotheae
Aloe juvenna (stressed by strong sun)
Aloe maculata (soap aloe)
Aloe nobilis
Aloe nobilis, variegated
Aloe vera
Cereopegia woodii 'Variegata' (variegaed rosary vine) (Rosary vine)
Cistanthe grandiflora
Cotyledon orbiculata
Cotyledon pendens
Crassula 'Hobbit' (golden)
Crassula 'Hummel's Sunset' full sun
Crassula multicava (fairy crassula)
Crassula multicava 'Red'
Crassula ovata (jade)
Crassula ovata 'Tricolor'
Disocactus flagelliformis (rattail cactus)
Disocactus sp.
Euphorbia milii, Furcraea foetida 'Variegata'
Furcraea sp. (two kinds)
Graptoveria 'Fred Ives'
Hoya carnosa (Buddha's rope)
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (supermarket kalanchoe)
Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi 'Variegata' (Aurora Borealis)
Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi
Kalanchoe longiflora 'Coccinea'
Kalanchoe luciae, wavy leaved
Kalanchoe marmorata
Kalanchoe prolifera
Kalanchoe schizophylla
Kalanchoe synsepala
Lepismium cruciforme
Nopalea cochenillifera
Peperomia 'Ruby Necklace'
Peperomia graveolens
Pachypodium lamerii, Euphorbia milii
Portulaca molokiniensis
Portulacaria afra (elephant's bush)
Portulacaria afra 'Minima' growing over boulder
Portulacaria afra 'Variegata'
Ruschia perfoliata
Sansevieria, fan-shaped
Sansevieria (two kinds)
Senecio barbertonicus
Senecio jacobsenii
Senecio rowleyanus (string of pearls)
Senecio vitalis in bloom
Senecio vitals, S. mandraliscae
Senecio, aloe, euphorbia in a Hawaii garden
Yucca aloifolia
Note: I'd greatly appreciate knowing if you agree these are good choices, based on your own experience growing them in Hawaii, Florida or other tropical climates. Also, if I've missed any important ones. Do let me know, thanks! -- Debra
Related info on this site
Prepare Your Succulents for Rainstorms
During rainy weather, succulents, which come from arid climates, may rot. Stems or trunks turn squishy and collapse. It may be possible to take cuttings from healthy top growth and restart the plants—as I did after one rainy winter with aeoniums. Fortunately, the rest of my succulents came through fine, despite double normal rainfall. After…
Protect Your Succulents From Rain, Hail, Frost
Prolonged damp and cold are death to succulents. Rot begins in the soil and goes up the trunk. Tissues soften, turn dark, and leaves fall off.
How Rain Benefits Succulents
Here’s how rain benefits succulents: It provides dissolved minerals and washes away dust that inhibits photosynthesis; it dilutes and flushes salts and harmful chemicals that have built up in the soil from tap water; and it provides nitrogen essential to growth,