Lewisia Cotyledon

I have a patch of ground up by the shed that is very steep, and gets grit all over it washing down from underneath the shed. In searching for something to grow there, I have mainly fixed on stonecrop and sempervivum. But as I was looking for echeveria at Canning Perennials, I saw a similar type of plant, a Lewisia Cotyledon, that I’d never seen nor heard of before. It looked interesting, so I read the label. It was these magic words that caught my eye: “plant on a sharp slope.” Heck, it even mentioned something about grit.

Hmm, a sharp slope with grit is definitely what I have there by the shed. So I took it home and planted it.

It is a plant native to mountainous regions on the west coast of North America. In the wild it is endangered (the chief dangers are from disappearing habitat and, apparently, from people who collect the plant illegally for their own gardens). It is now cultivated from seed and available from specialty growers.

So here is what the plant looks like now in my garden. I can’t wait for it to flower.


Photo belongs to kbgardenblog.blogspot.com and may not be used without attribution.
Like echeveria, this is another plant that will not make it through the winter if left where it is; so if it survives until fall, I will bring it inside then. It’s not the cold that bothers these plants so much as the wet. The label contains instructions warning you to avoid letting water collect at the crown. That's why a sharp slope is recommended.