Yellow, fuchsia, orange, white, pale pink, purple... From the portulacaceae family,
lewisia
is one of the plants that flood the garden with beautiful colors, from spring until the end of August sometimes. This plant which comes to us from North America is rather easy to grow. This rustic succulent measures around twenty centimeters high. The most common variety in France is
Lewisia cotyledon.
Where and when to plant lewisias?
Lewisias acclimatize very well in rock gardens. You can also plant them against a wall, on a border, in a flowerbed, in a pot, in a planter...
It needs well-drained, fertile, rich soil with a neutral humidity level. The plant must be exposed to the sun for deciduous species or in partial shade for evergreen species.
Allow 6 to 9 feet of Lewisias per square meter. Planting, in a hole about ten centimeters deep, can be done during spring or autumn, when temperatures are not too low and before frost episodes.
For potted plants, it is a good idea to put clay balls at the bottom for better drainage.
Water well after planting. Don't forget to enrich the soil in spring.
How to water and care for lewisias?
For growth to take hold initially, it is necessary to water after planting and then regularly during the first summer. Subsequently, the plant, which tolerates drought well, will need water less often.
Every year, in the spring, the Lewisias must be repotted in a new pot.
How to take cuttings from your Lewisias?
It is advisable to transplant and replant the suckers at the end of flowering in individual pots, watering them moderately. The best time is the end of summer so that the plants can safely face winter, a necessary phase to obtain flowering the following spring.
When does Lewisia bloom?
As with most plants, lewisia reveals its corymb flowers at the top of flower stalks, with golden stamens in the center of the corollas. These flowers appear between late spring and mid-summer. The colors are varied: white, yellow, orange, pink, red...
Hardiness: what resistance to frost and disease?
Lewisia is a hardy plant that resists -15°C.
It can be affected by crown rot, when humidity persists too long in the heart of the leaf rosettes.
In addition, it is often visited by slugs, aphids, snails and caterpillars.