I would try to make your drainage as rocky as you can get, more rock than soil, make that cactus soil as rocky as you can get, ..absolutely hates getting wet feet. Too bad I can't make it last on my side we get way too hot and dry here, I did manage about a year or so before it went kaput. I used very chunky media, pumice, kanuma, akadama, very little soil. I would have also used chicken grit if I had it then.
Here is what mine looked like before: It was happiest here in early to mid Spring, then it just dries out bad once our dry heat returns, I try to move it to the coolest side of my garden, not much is cool here so it dries out, but it did make a come back one time, but just too tough on my very arid side here, hit and miss
Sorry can't comment on snow, we don't have that here on my side, just winter rains if it does come.
17May2014
