Lewisia
Plant it at an angle in a crevice or on the side of a raised bed with grit under and around the crown — planted flat in ordinary soil it will not see out its first winter.
Care
Sun to part shade — full sun is fine in cool summers, but light afternoon shade suits it in a hot spot.
Low — water at the base only, never into the rosette, and let it dry between waterings.
Very sharply drained, gritty, lean soil. This is the genus where drainage is not a preference but the whole question: water sitting around the crown rots it within days.
Remove spent flower stems at the base and pull off dead outer leaves to keep the crown open and dry. No other pruning.
A very dilute balanced feed once or twice while it is in flower, no more. On a rich diet the rosette grows soft and loose and becomes far more prone to rot.
Detach the offsets that form round the base of an established rosette in early summer and root them in pure grit or a very sandy mix. Seed sown fresh and given a cold winter outdoors also germinates well.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchCheck the crown after winter and clear any rotted leaves away from it.
- MayA very dilute feed as the flowers open. how ›
- NovemberCover with a pane of glass or grow under an overhang so winter rain does not sit in the rosette. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchCheck the crown after winter and clear any rotted leaves away from it.
- MayA very dilute feed as the flowers open. how ›
- NovemberCover with a pane of glass or grow under an overhang so winter rain does not sit in the rosette. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCheck the crown after winter and clear any rotted leaves away from it.
- AprilA very dilute feed as the flowers open. how ›
- NovemberCover with a pane of glass or grow under an overhang so winter rain does not sit in the rosette. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCheck the crown after winter and clear any rotted leaves away from it.
- AprilA very dilute feed as the flowers open. how ›
- NovemberCover with a pane of glass or grow under an overhang so winter rain does not sit in the rosette. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. The rosette collapses, blackened at the base, usually after winter wet.
What to do. Plant sideways in a wall or crevice so water runs off the rosette, and top-dress with grit.
How to spot it. Sudden wilting of a healthy-looking plant; grubs in the roots.
What to do. Check the rootball and repot into fresh gritty compost.
How to spot it. Grazed rosette leaves in spring.
What to do. Surround with grit, which also helps keep the crown dry.
Popular varieties
Questions
Lewisia: is it hardy?
H5: Hardy in most of the UK, but can struggle in the coldest inland or upland spots. It survives down to −15 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — a gritty trough, a crevice or a wall pot is the ideal home, because it keeps the rosette off wet ground.
Lewisia: when do you prune it?
Remove spent flower stems at the base and pull off dead outer leaves to keep the crown open and dry.
Lewisia: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in May–July.
When do you feed it?
A very dilute balanced feed once or twice while it is in flower, no more. On a rich diet the rosette grows soft and loose and becomes far more prone to rot. Feeding months, UK: May–June.