Ornamental · Montiaceae
Lewisia
Lewisia cotyledon
Give it sharp drainage and a dry crown, and lewisia will thank you with bright rosette flowers each spring.
Partial sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–8
6–12 in · 15–30 cm
Overview
Lewisia is a welcoming evergreen for the rock garden, and it comes from the mountains of western North America, where it settles into gravelly crevices on cool, well-drained slopes. It grows a neat rosette of thick, fleshy leaves and then lifts up airy sprays of flowers in late spring. You can look forward to warm pinks, apricots, oranges, and yellows, often with fine candy stripes threading through the petals.
Every part of this plant is shaped for life on a rocky ledge, which is good news for you, because it asks for so little. The fleshy leaves hold water through dry spells, and the deep root grips thin, gritty ground that would leave a fussier plant hungry. That toughness is also why it dislikes wet feet, so remember that lewisia wants the sharp drainage of its native scree rather than the rich, damp bed most flowers enjoy.
Tuck it into a trough, a raised rock garden, or sideways in a wall crevice, and it will keep you company for years. It is hardy and long-lived, taking hard winters in its stride down to its rated zones, and it only asks that you be a little careful with water. Get the drainage right, and you will find the rest comes easily.
Care
The short version: settle lewisia into gritty, sharply drained soil with the crown sitting high and dry, offer it bright light with a little afternoon shade where summers get hot, and water gently at the base only once the top of the soil has dried.
Light
Lewisia is happiest in bright light with afternoon shade, and that matters most where summers run hot. It will take full sun in cooler spots and put up with part shade, but hot afternoon sun on an exposed site can scorch the rosette, so give it a gentle break in the heat.
Water
Always water at the base, and never into the center of the rosette, since water pooling there rots the crown quickly. Let the top of the soil dry between drinks, which usually lands around every 7 to 14 days, and ease right off while the plant rests in summer dormancy.
Soil
Set it into gritty, sharply drained soil made from gravel and sand, much like a mountain scree. A pH from 5.5 to 7.0 keeps it content, and the single thing it truly cannot forgive is heavy, soggy ground that traps water around the roots.
Temperature
This is a tough little plant, riding out cold down to -4°F (-20°C) and taking warmth up to around 75°F (24°C). Heat above that is the part to watch, so treat it to cool roots and afternoon shade through a hot summer.
Humidity
At heart this is a low-humidity plant, right at home in dry mountain air. Damp, stagnant conditions invite rot, so gentle airflow around the crown does far more good than any moisture in the air.
Feeding
Feed lightly through spring and early summer with a dilute, low-nitrogen balanced fertilizer. Rich feeding pushes soft, sappy growth that rots easily, so lean toward sparing rather than generous and the plant stays sturdy.
Pruning
Snip the spent flower stems away once the blooms have faded, and ease off any withered outer leaves so rot cannot get a foothold. No hard pruning is needed here, just a little friendly tidying rather than a real cutback.
Repotting
Repot every 2 to 3 years, or a touch sooner if the rosette crowds its pot, doing it in early spring into fresh gritty mix. Set the crown at or just above the soil line, and let roots at the drainage holes or a dip in flowering be your gentle cue.
Size & spacing
You can expect a compact plant, roughly 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) tall and about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) across. Its small, slow-growing habit makes it a lovely fit for troughs, crevices, and the front edge of a rock garden.
When to plant
Lewisia is a hardy perennial for zones 4 through 8, so it is here for the long haul rather than racing through a single season. Plant young ones out in spring once you can work the ground, and then watch happily for the rosette to send up its flowers from late spring into early summer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Harvest: Late spring to early summer
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every hiccup with lewisia comes back to one gentle rule: water sitting in the wrong place. Keep a friendly eye on the crown and the fresh growth, because that is where trouble tends to show up first. Spot it early and you can usually put things right.
Your rosette has flopped and the crown looks brown and soft
Take heart, because this is crown rot and it comes from water lingering in the middle of the rosette or soil that stays too wet. If the neck has gone soft and smells off, that one plant may be past saving, but you can protect the rest. Water gently at the base, tuck grit and a gravel collar around the crown, and if your ground holds moisture, lift the plant onto a little slope so it can breathe.
Fix:
- Stop overhead watering and water only at the base
- Improve drainage by adding grit and a gravel collar
- Lift and replant on a slope or crevice if soil stays wet
- Remove badly rotted plants to prevent spread
Sticky, curling new leaves with little clustered insects
Do not worry, those small soft-bodied insects gathering on fresh leaves and flower stems are just aphids, and the tacky film is the honeydew they leave. A gentle stream of water aimed at the base washes most of them away, and if a few keep returning, insecticidal soap will settle them. Welcome ladybirds into the garden too, and they will quietly do the rest for you.
Fix:
- Rinse off with a gentle stream of water at the base
- Apply insecticidal soap if persistent
- Encourage natural predators such as ladybirds
Toxicity
Here is some reassuring news for homes with pets and children: lewisia is not toxic. The genus has a long history as food, and the related bitterroot was dug up and eaten for generations, so a stray nibble is nothing to lose sleep over. The most a curious pet might feel is a mild stomach upset from overdoing any plant.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax with a cat in the house. A curious taste will not poison it, though as with any plant a big mouthful might unsettle a delicate tummy.
Dogs None
Nothing here will hurt a dog. One that chews a leaf or paws at the crown might feel a little queasy, but you have no real danger to fear.
Horses Safe
A grazing horse is perfectly fine around lewisia, which holds no compounds known to do it any harm.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can nibble the fleshy leaves safely, though they may munch a young rosette faster than it can bounce back.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can wander past it on the rock garden with nothing to fear from poisoning.
Birds Safe
Garden birds and backyard poultry can peck at the leaves or seed and come away just fine.
People Safe
You are on safe ground here, since the genus has long been a food, with the related bitterroot root dug and eaten for generations.
Varieties
Most garden lewisias are forms of Lewisia cotyledon, sold to you as seed strains or named hybrids. A few are especially worth hunting down by name.
Sunset Group / Sunset Strain
This is a seed strain you will love for its warm colors, giving you flowers from orange and apricot right through to pink and yellow.
'Elise'
A neat little F1 hybrid that rewards your patience by flowering quickly from seed and reblooming happily through the season.
var. heckneri
A wild variety you can pick out by the toothed, wavy edges running along its rosette leaves.
How to propagate
You can grow more lewisia from seed or lift off the little rosettes the plant makes on its own. Neither way is fast, but both are kind and dependable as long as you keep the mix gritty and the moisture light.
SeedModerate
Sow fresh seed in autumn or late winter; benefits from cold stratification · 1-2 years to flowering size
Scatter fresh seed over the surface of a gritty mix in autumn or late winter and keep it cool, because a cold spell is what nudges the seed awake and gives you better germination. When the little seedlings show, be gentle with your expectations, since they need 1 to 2 years to reach flowering size.
Offsets & pupsModerate
Spring or early summer once side rosettes form · Several weeks to root, full establishment in one season
When side rosettes appear in spring or early summer, gently twist off an offset with a little sliver of crown attached and set it aside to dry for a few hours. Nestle it into barely moist gritty mix, and it will root within a few weeks and settle in fully across one season.
Myths
Lewisia is a desert succulent that craves hot, dry, baking conditions.
It is easy to see where this idea comes from, since the leaves are fleshy and it truly needs sharp drainage. In truth it is an alpine plant of rocky crevices that likes cool roots and a bit of afternoon shade wherever summers turn hot. Give it dry desert heat and it will sulk instead of thrive, so treat it as the mountain plant it is.