I have to be honest... lewisias have been a huge challenge for me... however, they are so beautiful in bloom that I simply can't resist them. At the very least, they are plants for the rock garden although this hasn't worked very well for me.
There are 19 species of Lewisia which are all native to western North America and many of these can be very difficult to provide the proper conditions for... I have decided to limit my attempts to L. cotyleon and a hybrid series of L. longipetala by L. cotyleon called 'Little Plum'. As seen in the photo above and two of the last three photos in this post, I've even tried to overwinter them outside in tuffa rock with no success.
Needs include exceptionally well drained soils, protection from moisture about their necks, and avoidance of hot afternoon sun. My biggest problem has been overwintering them outside and I have now given up on that. Since the varieties I grow are evergreen and demand that their crowns remain quite dry over winter, I now use them in hyper-tuffa and keep them over in an unheated garage which has afforded me some success.
I also suspect that part of the problem outside here in Wisconsin may have something to do with hardiness issues... these particular lewisias are rated to -10 degrees.
A gardener needs to deal with the occasional challenging plant... for me Lewisia keeps me quite humble, but I am not ready to give up on them! They are way too lovely for that!
Take care, Larry
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| L. longipetalum 'Little Plum' |
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| two examples of L cotyleon |
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