Description
Lewisia is a perennial of the purslane family with spoon-shaped, fleshy, evergreen leaves gathered in flat rosettes.
It flowers in May–June. The flower stems rise above the rosette of leaves to 20 cm. The star-shaped flowers have yellow, white, pink or red stripes, depending on the variety.
Lewisia is suitable for gardens and rock gardens and grows well both in groups and singly. It does excellently in cracks in walls and rocks, and also in bowls and balcony boxes. It combines beautifully with houseleeks, stonecrops and the Dalmatian bellflower.
Requirements
The plant grows best in partial shade to sun. The soil should be loose, stony, moderately moist, free-draining and low in lime.
Propagation
It is propagated from seed sown in spring.
Care
It is a good idea to spread a layer of gravel around the plant, which prevents it from rotting. Lewisia does not tolerate overwatering and does not like water collecting in the leaf rosette – even in summer. It is best planted on a slope, in the cracks of a vertical wall, or under deciduous shrubs, but on the south side.
For winter, protect the plants from excess moisture, for example with a glass cover, a plastic bottle with its bottom cut off or – for larger areas – portable plastic tunnels. In winter also protect the plant from the sun.