I don't know about Calgary, but here I do take my Semps out of their containers and plant them in the ground for the winter. Although I did this chore about a month ago.

lyosan,

I'm in Calgary & have a rather small trough (9x11x6 deep) with nothing but Semps in it and they have survived several winters without any special protection. I just throw snow on them to help keep them from drying out, but that's about it. In my garden it's survival of the fittest, and these little guys are survivers.

~GC

Your title also mentions cacti but your post does not. In case you were wondering about cacti, I have hardy opuntia cacti in a small trough and they get no special treatment for the winter. Before this they actually sat on my deck in a 9" pot over a winter. They don't mind a bit.

Thanks for your help - I'm going to grit my teeth, leave them be, and hope for the best.

Northspruce, I do have cacti, but they're in the ground.