I've got a few pots of sempervivum and hardy sedum that I bought for my parents this spring. My mother and I have a mind to take them and put together a little outdoor garden in the hellstrip outside our backyard. I had a bunch of semps and sedum (autumn joy and an unknown variety) there, stuck straight in the ground, that thrived over the summer... until our well-meaning neighbor came by with a weed whacker. So now I'm thinking of making a little raised garden with bricks or stones.

The plants have been growing outdoors in comparable conditions for the past few months. The sedum have about doubled in size each.

We'd be doing this at the end of September or beginning of October. Is it still early enough in the year? My parents live in Chicago, and we get very cold, very wet winters. If I make sure the soil drains well, will the plants be able to establish themselves in time to survive the winter?