Sometimes you just have to keep trying until you find a recipe for success. When it comes to trees and shrubs, three tries often are it for me because of the expense involved. Smaller plants may be worth additional efforts at trying to find success. That is the case between lewisias and myself... I have had some minimal success, but I'm no where near giving up at this point. I think they are way too special. My best successes thus far have been growing them in hyper tuffa containers held over in the unheated garage during the winter months. By way of an experiment, I have some that are planted in a hollowed out chunk of actual tuffa stone and left outside for the winter. Buried in snow at the moment, they actually looked ok earlier on after a sudden thaw... the jury is still out, but I'm hoping for better success rates in the future. Here then are a few concerns that I need to address according to the research I've come across...
1. Quickly draining soil is of primary importance... I suspect that this is why they did better for me in hyper tuffa containers as I use a bark mix there.
2. I've read that lewisias do better in cultivation with frequent waterings that drain quickly, particularly in the heat of summer. I've seldom provided additional water in the past.
3. I haven't fertilized them in the past... this year I'll be trying three feedings of 10-10-10 at half strength.
4. I will look for locations on the east or north, particularly avoiding reflected heat
Here are photos of my lewisias taken over the past two seasons... Larry
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