LEWISIAS

[David Nicholson]

We don't seem to have a thread specific to Lewisias so thought I would start one.

Something a little bit different, well for me anyway is Lewisia columbiana var. rupicola and this came to me labelled as 'Saddle Mountain compact form". It has a small, compact rosette with rich deep green shiny segments and although it isn't the most floriferous Lewisia in my collection it makes up for it with the richness of it's flower colour. I think Saddle Mountain is in Oregon?

[Martinr]

Certainly the most compact rosette I've seen on v rupicola. The question is it it due to tender years or true compactness. How old is the plant David? And a lovely shade too!

[Michael J Campbell]

Did you mention Lewisias David?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Awesome Lewi's Michael !! 
David, you could have expected this counter attack from the Green Isle....

Love your Columbiana form as well ! Very delicate !

[David Nicholson]

Did you mention Lewisias David?

I did Michael, just to prompt you to show some

[David Nicholson]

Certainly the most compact rosette I've seen on v rupicola. The question is it it due to tender years or true compactness. How old is the plant David? And a lovely shade too!

Martin, I'll PM you.

[Martinr]

If it wasn't raining I'd go out right now and photograph yet more Lewisias, and as quite a few have the initials MJC on the labels I suspect you might recognise some of them Michael!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some might know I'm a Lewisia fan too... 

1 to 8 : Some simple L. Cotyledon in different shades , some in pots, some in the garden.
9) An Lewisia columbiana x cotyledon with a colour I like very much
10) Last but not least : Lewisia x rediviva from Michael J.C's stable !! 

[hadacekf]

Luc,
Great collection, Ilike it.

[Lesley Cox]

Well come on guys. That's not enough.

[Lesley Cox]

I was very surprised when my two potted L. tweedy alba started to shrivel and die as I thought they had been well drained and I was doing everything right after a very good flowering. They didn't come away in my hand though so maybe it wasn't rot. Then I realized they were in fact, very dry so watered copiously. One began to show some signs of recovery and is reasonable again but the other remained shrivelled and became even worse. Then I put it in a bucket with some water in the bottom but not much happened.

Last week we had 8 inches of rain(!). The bucket became full and runneth over for a few days, the Lewisia totally submerged and now, it is bright and perky, the foliage turgid and succulent again. I've taken it out of the bucket because there could be too much of a good thing, but I think the lesson learned is that L. tweedyi at least, does not like to be dry. I suspect that the problem was that the roots were so tightly packed in the pot (a large one) that water hadn't been able to penetrate.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Very interesting observations Lesley !
Thanks for sharing this - fascinating to hear that it regenerates  new leaves so late in your Autumn ! 

[David Sellars]

Yesterday we drove east along Highway 3 over the Cascades to the drier side of the range looking for Lewisia columbiana var columbiana.  We found thousands of plants just coming into flower at about 1350 m on a rocky ridge above the highway, south of Princeton, British Columbia.  In wet seep areas there were numerous flowering plants of Lewisia pygmaea.  Also in flower on the ridge were Erythronium grandiflorum, Fritillaria affinis and Calypso bulbosa.  Fritillaria pudica had finished flowering.

Not far from this site is the only known location of Lewisia tweedyi in Canada.  Further east, in the drier Okanagan Valley, Lewisia rediviva flowers by the highway.  Highway 3 is called the Crowsnest Highway (from the name of the pass over the Rockies).  For those who appreciate alpine flora,  a more appropriate name in southwestern BC would be Lewisia Highway as four different Lewisias can be found not far from the road.

[Michael J Campbell]

There are more Lewisias here

 http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/michaelJcampbell63/24022008LewisiaCollection1TheseHybsHaveAllBeenMadeByMeOverTheLast15Years#

If anyone is interested.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

They never cease to amaze me Michael !!!!