Hey those mixed succulents are great. I admire people who can get the combinations right and achieve balance like that. My own experience with community pots has not worked out so well, so I have given up on them.
The plants in the landscape picture are growing in a public garden in really nutrient poor soil (mostly river sand) so they tend to really crawl. Except for the Aeoniums (big green ones in bloom there) which take on a life of their own pretty much no matter what. This has been a multi-year project as other plants have died or been taken and needed replacing.
The "Macho Mocha" replaced a "Sharkskin" which rotted after somebody dumped a bunch of unfresh water on it.
"Macho Mocha" does turn a real intense purple in the sun... the more sun, the better (here). Unfortunately the ground squirrels love the taste of that Mangave and they chewed it to a nub this past summer. So we'll see it if survives another dry season. The red Aeoniums (3 different kinds in the picture) are garden variety mutts, and they also really turn a gorgeous color in the sun. The Aeoniums are really practical plants for our climate, like yours. Water wise, so to speak.
