So I've been reading tons of posts from this site about questions that people've had regarding succulent care. My particular situation has sparked the research.

I apologize in advance for being long-winded.

I currently live in Asheville, NC and have recently started a small succulent garden outside my front door. As you may have expected, I am getting paranoid about how much rainfall we get here. (I already expect having to move them inside to pots during winter to avoid any unexpected frosts). Anyway, the bed is about 4ft x 4ft and on the top of a small hill that gets a nice amount of direct afternoon sun. Soil is a mix of pea gravel and existing soil. The bed is also surrounded by large stones that are higher than ground level.

I created a makeshift roof to put above the bed during periods of rain. It's made of a clear heavy-duty shower curtain stapled to two 2x4s that I lay on four cinder blocks at the corners. It also has a slope to allow water to slide off away from the bed. But even with this, somehow, it seems like the succulents are getting completely wet underneath the roof. Not just the soil (which I expect because of water seeping thru the ground itself) but the actual foliage. I'm guessing that's from all the Asheville humidity? Nonetheless, the succulents are obviously still getting a good soaking when it rains, even though they have their own roof.

As far as the kind of succulents I have. I know that I have various hens and chicks or sempervivum, black prince, echeverias, an aloe, jade, stone crop, (cut me some slack i'm still getting familiar with the names)... i'm sure I'm leaving a few out. I will post a picture as soon as I can. I never manually water since there's been more and more rain here.

So naturally, these questions arise- based on my situation:

1. Are any of my succulents better off in pots for any reason?

2. If I allow the rain water to soak thru the ground when it DOES rain (which seems like roughly once a week) is that too much water? Keep in mind that when rain is expected I also make sure to cover them with the roof I made.

3. How long does it take for succulents to rot due to overwatering, and what is the best way to tell?

If there is anything that anyone feels like I should know, please share. If there is any other information I can provide to help you help me, please feel free to ask. I would like to keep the succulents in the ground during the warmer seasons, but depending on what kind of response I get here i'll see what direction I end up going. Thanks for your time!

David