Thanks all for your thoughts. Yes Agaveville would make sense but I rather gave up on it years ago as I never got much of a response. Maybe I should try again. Yes my conditions are different to yours but I thought perhaps the depth of the bed might be similar or at least a guide but nobody's mentio...

Nobody got a raised bed for succulents??

Beautiful plants Tina and quite a difference, how do you know they don't like the black top dressing and in what way?

As somebody with no interruptions to make I enjoy all the interruptions about these photos, makes it very interesting, really informative about judging etc, keep them coming from my perspective

any tips on how deep to make a succulent raised bed? Ive noticed that many succulent gardens in California and Arizona use them. I saw a video the other day of a garden in Arizona where horse manure is mixed in to the bed.
Thanks

All interesting, I am happy enough to call it potatorum, maybe the others in the batch were verschaffeltii (none of which I still have) as this one was an outlier

Thanks Edds, yeah they really know how to go for it on that forum, I think definite possibility is the conclusion and that it doesn't matter too much!

crikey Ive never seen such big Matucana, amazing

I had mine in the ground here in Portugal but had to abandon that because of the heat, they really don't like it. I saved one of the big ones (it had been spiralling a few years ago but not anymore) and have it in a pot in the shade. Fingers crossed.