Calin ~ I agree on the plants that are listed for an appropriate area and absolutely agree on some areas being more suitable for succulents in ground.
I feel that I am bending some of those rules by providing a fast draining raised bed for these plants. The bed is located up against a wall and built out of rock so it should help retain more heat. It is also located under the roof line so is more sheltered from drenching winter rains.
Our area is hot in summer, can get incredibly cold in winter with occasional snows. Most of our annual rainfall is received in winter. Cold and wet are the kiss of death for most succulents. So that is my experiment.
I think the links to Texas and New Mexico succulents is simply a suggestion for those types of succulents (and cacti) that will be more or less hardy. The final test will be how they perform under our own growing circumstances.
I really like the photo of your rock garden blooming Delosperma. I get carried away looking through all your blooming photos ~ very pretty!
If you want to create a more arid bed for outdoor succulents, I would try to incorporate small rocks, pebbles or crushed gravel into a raised bed. That should prevent the soil from staying soggy. I have seen that done here for herbs that don't like to have wet feet and it should also work for succulents.
Odd but I find succulents need to be dry, dry, dry before a hard freeze yet it is recommended to water the lush plants before freezes. All plants are individuals.
