Lewisia cotyledon (Sunset Group)

Native in the Siskiyou Mountains in northern California and southern Oregon, these pretty flowers are named for Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame. This pretty little plant can defeat a gardener if grown in regular ‘border conditions.’ They like very sharp drainage, need profound protection from winter rain, and seem to thrive and bloom very well in a location where they don’t bake in the afternoon. Ours are planted under eaves on the south-eastern part of the house and bloom profusely (pinks, yellows, oranges, salmons, and two-tones) in the spring and sometimes rebloom during the summer if pinched. They will seed in the sharp gravel under the eaves as well. The “sunset” strain was developed by Jake Drake of Inshriach Alpine Plant Nursery in Scotland. (There is a good article (on-line) in the Bulletin of the American Rock Garden Society (Volume 50, No.1, Winter 92 ) on how Barrie Porteous grows his in Ontario.)