I forgot about this ^ then a couple days ago I searched for zone 5 cacti and was reminded.

I don't actually keep the bed dry. I've found it stays moist through the Winter. Anyway, I wanted to find plants that wouldn't need a lot of attention. The bed is decomposed granite. Sometimes there is snow on it and sometimes there isn't.

Plants I tried so far:

Escobaria missouriensis - I started with two of these, one each from two different sources, but one rotted last winter. I think it rotted because it was overgrown by a Heterotheca plant.

Pediocactus simpsonii v. minor - I have about six of these and all are doing well. They don't mind the winter cold and moisture and flower every spring. I haven't found any seeds, yet. The local pollinators seem uninterested in the flowers. I tried pollinating the flowers with a q-tip but still no seeds.

Agave parryii - I accidentally left the whole pot out one winter. The main plant died but some pups survived. I tried putting some pups in the bed but they didn't survive.

Delosperma karooicum Duberg - Didn't survive two winters.

Ebracteola wilmaniae - Began to look poor when the really cold weather started so I tried putting it back in a pot and bringing it inside. It died after bringing it in.

Othona capensis - Didn't survive two winters.

Physaria newberryi - Not sure if this one survived or if it died and I have it confused with another plant.

Stomatium mustellinum - Doing well and seems okay with the winter moisture.

Talinum spinescens - Loses its leaves each winter but they grow back in the spring. Seems okay.

Plants I have but haven't put in the bed:

Echinocereus viridiflorus - I've had this one for a couple years but been too chicken too plant it.

Echinocereus viridiflorus v. montanus - This one wasn't sold to me as a cold-hardy cactus but I suspect it might be tough enough for my area. Might be able to root a cutting from this one.

Echinocereus triglochidiatus - I have two of these that look very different.

Escobaria leei - This one pups very easy and I have three rooted pups I can plant this spring.

Escobaria orcuttii v. koenigii - The spines of this one look good but I have only one plant.

I'm surprised those died, wantonamara.

I'm worried my initial success with the cacti will be overshadowed by losses. I'd feel better about trying the remaining cacti if I could put them in a bed that would stay drier. However, I'd rather find cacti that don't need to be shielded from the weather and can tolerate some moisture. Ultimately, I just have to try them in the bed. That's why I ordered them but I guess I became sort of attached to them.

Have you ever read Leo Chance's Cactus and Succulents for Cold Climates ?

Poly, the cactus you say you haven’t put in the bed, where do you keep them during the winter?

You could try out maihuenia poegpigii, and some cylindropuntia species, but....... the soil will need to be optimized. But that being, those 2 plants arent reliably hardy......

zone 6 is still a stretch for most hardy cacti anyway....

wantonamara, I haven't read that before but I browsed the ebook a bit since you linked to it. I was surprised that some cacti were zone 4 in the book. I'd only seen them listed as zone 5 on the Internet. Also, the ebook mentioned Escobaria organensis. I have that but left it off my earlier list. It is a bit small and etiolated a bit last winter. However, I'll plant it this spring. Might be better for it to be outside all year than for me to try overwintering it in the house.

Kara, I keep my potted cacti and succulents in the house in the basement near a south facing window. That includes the more cold hardy ones that I haven't dared to plant outside, yet. I haven't bought lights so far because of costs. Some winters some plants have remained in a resting state and others have etiolated, unfortunately. Also, the problem plants aren't predictably the same ones. One winter a plant may be OK and the next winter it etiolates. It is frustrating and I'm really tempted to get lights. After the weather warms up I move the potted cacti and succulents out to a semi-greenhouse shed-type thing.

Stefan, I have Maihuenia poeppigii. I have just one. I've tried to start cuttings from it to try outside in the bed but had no luck so far. I tried starting Cylindropuntia imbricata from seed but rodents ate the seeds before they sprouted. If I remember to put in another seed order I might try again.

My feeling about cacti hardiness is that it is all about moisture. Everything is conditional. I always look at where the author lives. I think mr. Chance hails from Colorado where cold blasts in but then moderates. It is also very dry with some snow cover which will protect things in the cold. Notlike the midwest and the East where cold sticks around and is quite wet. I think this conversation is all a gamble. How lucky do you feel. LOL.

I saw a presentation by the head gardener of the Tacoma Zoo and in summary if you can pick a plant, know its needs and put it in a place it will suceed, you will be sucessful. He had zone 9, 10, 11, 12 plants flourishing in his gardens. It was inspiring to say the least.

My Escobaria organensis doesn't look so good. I'm not sure what to do with it. When I first got it by mail order the base of it (point where the roots joined the stem- the original cotyledons) was kinda floppy and the main body of the cactus seemed a bit etiolated. I potted it and propped it up with some sticks. It seemed to recover. It etiolated a bit more last winter. Yesterday I unpotted it to get it ready for planting in the bed but noticed the skin of the first cotyledon area was loose and not far above that I saw some dark skin and some white stuff. I picked at the area with a bamboo skewer and cleaned out some dirt. Looks like it might've had some mealy bugs and a fungus at some point. The area isn't mushy oozy rotten as far as I can tell. The roots are actually healthy and more extensive than the E. leei pups I rooted. I'm not sure if I want to cut and try rooting the top part or just leave it alone and plant it in the bed. Or, if I really want to try something I could cut off the top good part and try grafting it to something else. Then save the bottom and plant it in the bed. If the bottom survives it probably would branch.

Edit: Meh. I can't be forced to do much with it right now so I just planted it in the bed.